


Wedding Wars

by Fallen_Ark_Angel



Series: Parenthood [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 23:19:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4541262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallen_Ark_Angel/pseuds/Fallen_Ark_Angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So maybe Mirajane did it a little backwards. She got the baby, then the man, and now the marriage, but at least she's finally getting the wedding of her dreams, right? Only Elfman and Lisanna both are suddenly claiming to be engaged too, which should be great! Only as oldest, Mira thinks that she should get her wedding first. Why don't they get that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  


"I like these."

Laxus moved to stand. "Then those it is. Now let's-"

"But," Mirajane started again making the man groan and take his seat once more. Nathan, who was sitting in Mirajane's lap, giggled as he stared at his father. "I also like these."

"Then we'll take both."

"Laxus," Mirajane sighed as the decorator they were speaking to only smiled. "You can't, silly. Just… Which do you like better?"

"The ones that you do." He knew that game and he knew it well.

In the few weeks that had transpired since he first proposed, Laxus was more beat down than ever. He had known, of course, that Mirajane was going to go a little crazy about the wedding, but there was nothing that could prepare him for it.

Don't get him wrong. This was going to be her only wedding ever as far as he was concerned and he wanted her to get everything perfect. She deserved it. Fine. But did they really have to pin down every little detail?

Yes. Apparently.

And Mirajane wanted the wedding soon. Very soon.

Not that he blamed her. He wanted it to be quick to. After all, they were already living together and had a son as Mira began to pray that they could get pregnant with another real soon.

Which was why Laxus had suggested to her numerous times at that point that they just go ahead and get it over with. Forgo the wedding and just get married.

That was not something to suggest to the demon, apparently.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Laxus, that you think that I don't deserve the one thing that I've always dreamed of," she complained when he said that. "But-"

"Okay, okay. We're having a wedding. Never mind."

So they were having a wedding.

Yay.

Ugh.

Lucky him though, he wasn't alone in the misadventure. A few days after proposing to Mirajane, he found himself up at the guildhall where Master Makarov wanted to have a few words with him.

"I want to pay for the wedding."

Laxus blinked, as he stood there at the bar, in front of where his grandfather was sitting. "Really? Wow. Uh, thanks. I-"

"Not because of you, boy," Makarov grumbled, looking off. "Because of Mirajane. You think that if you just brought any woman into this guildhall, I'd pay for it? No."

He narrowed his eyes then. "Why are you so ardent about me and Mira all of a sudden? You've never liked us together. From the beginning."

"Yes, well," he said slowly. "Mirajane has done many good things for me. And I've spoken to her quite a few times these past few months and she seems to truly love you."

"Y-You talked to my girlfriend about me? Old man, you're my grandfather. Not hers. You're not allowed to like her more than me!"

"I am entitled to my own-"

"So let me get this straight," he grumbled. "I could have picked any woman in this guildhall and-"

"Did I say that?"

"Then why-"

"I don't enjoy her with you, but Mira seems to enjoy being with you," Makarov said, glancing at his grandson again. "And besides, at least if the two of you marry, she'll have some claim to the boy."

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked as he glanced over his shoulder, just at the mention of his son. Nathan was sitting with Asuka, playing some sort of game. "Gramps?"

"If you take off on her-"

"I wouldn't-"

"-and his real mother showed back up, what would Mirajane do? At least she has some sort of a tie to him now."

"I'm not taking off on her. Or on the kid. I-"

"If you die then, Laxus," Makarov told him with a shake of his head. "I just meant that it won't be good if-"

"She's not coming back," Laxus told him then, looking back at the old man. "Women don't do that. They don't give up their kids and then come back for them. When they leave, they leave. That's their thing."

Makarov only stared at his grandson for a moment before saying, "There were certain circumstances that your mother-"

"I don't give a damn about either of my parents," he told him then, voice not wavering in the slightest. "But she's not coming back for Nate."

"She won't be," Makarov agreed. "But she might be coming back for you."

"What do you-"

"You're the one that would always brag about how obsessed women are with you."

"I don't brag to you. What? You eavesdrop on me, old man?"

He only stared at his grandson. "She probably only kept him originally hoping that you would come for him. If she sees that now you are with Mirajane, she'll think in her mind it is solely for the child."

It was actually the opposite. In the beginning anyhow. He kept Nathan to get with Mira.

"It won't matter. If she comes back, I'll be here, with Mirajane and Nathan. She can't have him now. It doesn't work that-"

"What are you guys talking about?"

They both glanced up as Mirajane came back over to the bar.

"Noth-"

"Just how I'm going to pay for your wedding," Makarov told her with a smile as Laxus went back to drinking. Of course Mira was excited then and Laxus had to listen to her gush and watch Makarov act like a freaking god or something, like the wedding wouldn't been paid for without him.

Bleh.

But that brought him back to where he was in that moment, at a coordinator's house, once more going over the plans for their wedding. Mirajane and the older woman (Mira said that she planned beautiful weddings) hit it off from the start.

Laxus and the woman though? Not so much.

"You know," the older woman said to Mirajane as they went back to deciding which flowers would be appropriate for her bouquet. "I have a son about your age who would just love a wonderful woman like you."

Mirajane only giggled though, as if it were a joke. One stare from the woman told Laxus that it very much so wasn't.

"I don't like her," Laxus complained as they left that day, Nathan riding up on his father's shoulders. "At all."

"Too bad I don't care."

"Mirajane-"

"You wanted Freed and Ever to plan our wedding," she said with a frown.

"Yeah. They're both, like, great at that sort of stuff. Parties and…organizing things. They do all that sorta stuff for me."

"They both hate me."

"They do not."

"Yes, they do. They think that I'm taking you away from them."

Grunt. Then, "Your little wedding's gonna cost some jewels, I'm noticing."

"You only get married once." Then she glanced at him. "You do get that, right? This is for life. Until death."

He only grunted again as Nathan took to patting his father on the head. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

His breath was hot against her cheek as she turned her head from him, abruptly stopping their kissing.

"Lissy," Bickslow complained as he only sighed, moving off her to lay down on the bed. "Seriously?"

"I said no," she said, trying to get her breath in check, the feeling of his hands only moments ago having been working on slipping into her jeans having her slightly flustered. "Not…not yet."

"When though?" he complained. This waiting game was starting to get him antsy. "I mean, Lisanna, come on."

"I don't want to yet, Bickslow. If that's a problem-"

He groaned, rolling onto his side so that he could stare at her. "No. I just… No."

It was awkward between them then, just like it always was when that happened. Slowly, Lisanna pushed up from his bed.

"I have to go."

"Don't. Lissy-"

"No, seriously. I would have had to anyways," she told him as she moved to exit his bedroom. "I told Mira that I'd meet her for lunch. She spent all day with the wedding planner or something. Did you want to come?"

"Is Laxus going to be there?"

"Probably."

That was enough for him.

When they got to the place, Mirajane and Laxus were already there with Nathan, who was happily listening to Mirajane tell him jokes.

He loved jokes.

Err, well, he loved Mira. And Mira was the one telling them. Therefore, in that moment, he loved jokes.

Duh.

But when Lisanna arrived, Mira's attention shifted to her and Nathan went back to waiting for his food.

"This wedding stuff sounds like a drag," Bickslow mumbled to Laxus at one point. The other man only shook his head.

"You don't want to know."

Lunch was going rather smoothly too. Mirajane and Lisanna got to gush about the wedding while Bickslow and Laxus mostly just tried not to bash their skulls in. Nate though was more than a little fussy.

"No," he told Lisanna at one point as she began, once again, to ask Mira something. "No. No talk."

"No talk," Bickslow's babies agreed, floating around their master's girlfriend's head. "Lissy."

"N-Nathan," she complained as he only gave her a dirty look. Laxus took to snickering as Mirajane only frowned down at him.

"Behave," she said. Being Laxus' son, Nathan knew exactly what that word meant and only took to pouting. Mirajane used it enough anyhow.

That turned out to not be the worst thing of the day though as, after that, Lisanna got down to mentioning to Mirajane that she'd been relying a lot on her and Kinana to cover for her at the guildhall, skipping work more than she ever had.

"Well, Lisanna," had been Mirajane's reply. "I'm so sorry that I'm not around to cater to everyone else's needs for once. I'm trying to plan a wedding, take care of Nathan, and-"

"And you chose all of that stuff for yourself! No one else did! You're the one-"

"Don't yell at me, Lisanna. You-"

"I'll do whatever I want!"

"Oh great," Laxus groaned as Bickslow's babies only dove for cover in their father's lap.

"Papa?" they asked, but he only shook his head.

He'd never seen them fight before.

But Laxus had. A lot. And it ended just how he expected.

"Well," he sighed as he and Mirajane left the restaurant, Nathan between them. "That could have gone better."

Mirajane only went off once more on him about how rude Lisanna was and why was it that she didn't see the situation that Mira was in? Huh? Huh? She was stressed beyond belief. So why was Lisanna only trying to add to that?

"Mira," Nathan said, tilting his head up to look at his father. "Rawr! Yell."

"Shhh," he told the little boy as Mirajane just kept ranting. "Just let her go."

Bickslow, who was back at the restaurant still with Lisanna, was having about the same reaction to it.

"Where does she get off anyhow?" Lisanna complained as they sat at the table, now just the two of them and the babies. "Huh? I mean, seriously? All I said is that she's been missing a lot of work recently. Which she has! So-"

"I didn't know that you guys did this," he said simply as his babies hung around Lisanna, as if to comfort her.

"Did what?"

"Fight."

She blinked. Then she gave him a look. "Everyone fights, Bickslow."

"Yeah," he said. "I know. It's just… You guys always seem so perfect, you know? I mean, it's a great story."

"What is?"

"Your whole life," he told her. "Your sister taking care of you guys after your parents died, then getting run out of town, only to find Fairy Tail. And you guys were happy there, until you were killed, and your sister did a total 180. Got into modeling. Really shaped up, yeah? And your brother, he changed too, I guess, but he was always annoying to me."

"Bickslow-"

"Anyhow," the seith went on. "It's just a real great thing, you know? You coming back to them. And the three of you being so happy. Lovin' one another and whatnot. At least I thought you guys did."

"I love Mira," she told him, though it came out rather grumbled. "I just get a little fed up with her sometimes. That's all."

"I know ya do, Lissy." He snickered then, making his dolls do the same. "Of course you do. I just never get to see you guys like this much. All up close and stuff. You guys got some serious drama going on."

"Most families do," she said, with a shrug, slightly annoyed that he was mentioning it. "I mean, you fight with yours, huh?"

"Me and the babies? No."

"I meant Ever and Freed. You guys are kinda like a family. You're close like one, at least."

"We're just friends."

"Just friends?" She rolled her eyes. "Lucy and I are just friends. Erza and Gray are just friends. You guys are…I dunno. But as bad as you are to others, you look out for one another. And that's all family is, huh? Looking out for one another?"

He couldn't help it then as smiled at her. "I guess that's right, yeah."

Lisanna only ducked her head, as she'd suffer from random bouts of bashfulness when it came to him.

"Mirajane and I will make up," she said finally.

"Of course."

Then, after a thought, she added, "Just after I get her back for this. Because you have to agree, she has been kinda high and mighty recently."

"Lisanna-"

"She has."

He only shook his head, tongue falling from his mouth as he opened it to say, "Don't go stirring the pot too much, kid. The last thing we want is for it to overflow."

* * *

Wedding's were so taxing that even Nate was pooped when they got home that day. Mainly because he'd taken it upon himself to officiate weddings between him and his dog and his toys and other toys and toys to his dog for the past few days. Mirajane thought it was cute at first, but it was beginning to get annoying.

It was stupid Elfman that explained to him what a wedding was and even bought him this little picture book about weddings and what took place.

The kid thought he was a master of them at that point.

And wasn't he? He was married to half the house!

He only went to climb up on the couch and collapse the second they got home.

Mirajane had calmed down some at that point and only went to join him, though she only sat there.

"So anything else we need to do today?" Laxus found himself asking. Just to be sure. When she shook her head, he only let out a slight sigh. "Good. I'm gong to go change clothes and then go train. You wanna go, Nate?"

He only laid there against the couch, making a slight noise. Even though she was still a little miffed at her sister, Mirajane did smile at that and moved to rub his back gently.

"I think he's going to go take a nap, Daddy," she sighed as she moved to pick the child up. "Alright?"

"Whatever." He headed off to the bedroom to dress into some workout clothes. "I'll be home late, so you two are on your own for dinner. If you cook somethin' though-"

"You know that I always leave you a plate, Lax."

After he left, Mira only went to lay the little boy down in her bed, the dog eventually finding his way in there as well.

"You want a story or a song?"

"Song," Nathan mumbled as he cuddled up to Laxus' usual pillow. It smelled like him. "Mommy."

She had hardly started playing when he conked out. But Mirajane just kept it up because she had felt rather out of practice recently.

Not to mention it relaxed her. Ugh. Lisanna had really riled her up. And why? What did Mirajane care if Lisanna thought that she was slacking off at the guildhall? That wasn't any of Lisanna's business. It was between her and Master. And he didn't care anything about it. At all. He always told her to take more time off. Everyone did. Constantly.

So why when she finally did, were they all freaking out on her?

Nathan liked her being home more, at least. Then again, he liked her no matter where they were.

Mirajane had never seen her life that way. With…a stepson. Or any children that weren't really hers. She always saw herself ending up with the guy of her dreams who loved her and made a butt load of money, which he showered her and their many children with.

What she was getting was a little boy who she always had a sinking feeling would grow to resent her, thinking that she'd somehow driven his real mother out, and a guy that seemed to love her, but then again, Laxus always kinda just seemed to go with the flow.

But what happened when the currents changed and his drifted away?

She was psyching herself out, of course, she knew, as she went to put her guitar away. Her mind was just racing, that was all. Nathan loved her. And she hadn't done anything to his mother. She'd chosen to leave him before Mirajane even knew about him. And if she ever came back…

Well…

Ugh.

The point was though that Nathan loved her and so did his father. Why did she need to contemplate anything more than that? It was what it was. Laxus was ready to settle down. He'd more than sowed his oats, one would figure. So much so that he'd probably sowed a few other guys while he was at it!

They would be fine. They really would. And as Mirajane moved to lay down on the bed with her dog and Nate, she knew that.

She loved her boys and they loved her. And what was stronger than love?

 


	2. Chapter 2

  


"Are you asleep?"

Elfman only let out a soft sigh, peeking his eyes open to find Ever there, snuggled up to his chest.

"No," he told her though she could heard the tiredness lacing his voice. "Was though. What woke you up?"

"I can't sleep," she told him as he shut his eyes once more. "Elf."

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, really," she sighed. "I'm just…thinking."

"Thinking, huh?" His voice was still a little rough. "About what?"

She was quiet for a minute or tow, just resting against him. Then, she whispered, "What do you want?"

"Right now? To sleep."

"A boy or a girl," she corrected, trying hard to keep from being irritated with him. She was usually quick to anger when it came to her boyfriend. "For the baby. Which do you want?"

"Well, that's easy," he said. "A man."

"Of course."

He grinned slightly at the thought. "It'll be great! We can do all sorts of super manly things together."

"Right."

"Well…which do you want?" He opened his eyes then, just to look at her. "Ever?"

She paused before shrugging. "Neither."

"Ever-"

"I don't know, Elf," she sighed. "I don't really care, I guess. I mean, I can see both as being kinda fun. Just in different ways."

"What do you mean?

"A girl would be fun to, like, shop for and dress up. You know? But then a boy…"

"A boy what?"

"It'd be nice to see him be friends with Laxus' son."

Elfman didn't think so, but then remembered that Laxus' son was practically Mira's. Begrudgingly, he got out a, "Guess so."

"And, you know." He could tell she was blushing then and it was actually rather funny to him. "It'd be nice to see him…with you."

"Huh?"

"You guys would be real close, right?" She glanced up at him then and he nodded slightly.

"Of course! Me and my son would be super close! We'd do everything together."

"You guys would be really…cute together."

"Huh. Cute ain't too manly," he said, mulling over the prospect. "But I guess so."

"Yeah." She shifted then, against him, so that she was laying more against his chest, her head tilted up to lock eyes with him in the darkness. "But having a girl would be fun too."

"I didn't say it wouldn't," he was quick to assure her. "We could do all sorts of super manly stuff together too!"

"Elf," she groaned as he only thought some about that too.

"I change my answer."

"Huh?"

"To the question," he said. "I change my answer."

"Just like that? You don't want a boy anymore? But you didn't even-"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I want both."

"That's not an option, idiot!"

There. She'd done it. Now she was annoyed with him.

"I'm not an idiot."

"You are if you think that this is more than a one time thing," she told him as she moved to lay down on the bed. They were over at her apartment, giving them more space on the bed. If they were over at his, there wouldn't have been any room for her to be anywhere, but on him. "No do overs. Whatever kid we get is the one that we're stuck with. So if you're wanting more, you better look somewhere else."

He blinked. "Well, I wasn't really lookin' to begin with. It just sorta happened."

Ever shut her eyes. "Go to bed, Elfman. It's late."

"You're the one who woke me up!"

"Stop yelling."

He only grunted then before shutting his eyes again. "You sure have been wish-washy recently."

"I'm so sorry, Elfman, that I'm a little stressed to be pregnant, something I never wanted to be, by the way, by a big oaf who can't even be bothered to ask me to marry him."

Elfman had to open his eyes then, just so he could blink them. "You want that?"

No. Maybe. She didn't know. It had kinda just slipped out.

"I don't know, Elfman," she grumbled. "I just…"

"Well…" He was conflicted. "My parents were married. And they were pretty happy."

"So?"

"So let's do it!" He was invigorated once more, just from the thought of it. There would be cake and drinks and a bachelor party! All super manly things. "Now. Let's do it all now."

"Shut up, idiot."

"Stop calling me-"

"Are you serious though?" She glanced over her shoulder at him. Elfman only moved to sit up, pumping his arm in the air, as if victorious.

"Marriage is super manly," he assured her. "Real men have wives and children and they go out and make tons of jewels so that they can buy them things."

"Well," she said slowly. "The tons of jewels part doesn't sound bad-"

"Yeah, I know, I-"

"-but don't think that I'm going to be the one stuck at home with this brat."

"H-Huh?" He frowned then. "Evergreen-"

"You want it, you stay with it. After I get it out of me," she said, almost sounding like she was talking about an infection or something subhuman, "I'm going back to work with my team. You can sit at home on diaper duty and late night feedings."

"That doesn't sound manly," Elfman mumbled, losing some of his drive then.

"It's not."

"Then I don't want to do it. You're the mother. You do it. I'm the father. I go out and work and-"

"You're staying home with the kid and that's final."

"Final? What do you think this is? Some sort of agreement?"

"What is marriage, but an agreement?" she complained, laying down once more and shutting her eyes. "You even sign a document. Like a deed to a house or something. It's all very formal."

"I don't like it."

"Too bad."

With a frown, he slowly moved to lay on his side as well, giving her his back. He was just about to shut his eyes again when he stopped.

"So this is it then?" he asked, glancing over at her. "We're getting married?"

"Well, I guess so, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!"

And in all the dreams that she'd ever had as a little girl about being proposed to, she never imagined that it would be a nightmare.

Then again, elves were rarely involved in most of her fantasies, as those centered more around fairies, but here they were.

Before drifting off, she reached down to press a hand gently against her stomach. All things considered, it could be worse. At least Elfman would stay with her.

Wouldn't he?

* * *

"You have such cool things."

Bickslow just laid there, stretched out on his bed, smoke in one hand, as Lisanna stood over in the corner of his room, going through his closet.

"If you say so."

"You do," she said, pulling out some stuff. "I mean, who wears a cape?"

"I do. And I look damn good in it."

"And this." She pulled out another part of one of his old outfits. He didn't feel like lifting his head to figure out what. "You're, like, so cool."

"You can have whatever you want in there that I don't use anymore if you-"

"No," she said. "I know how that game is played. Remember?"

"What?"

"Then you'd get to go through my stuff and take something."

He only snickered. "Fair warning."

The babies were thoroughly enjoying going through Papa's closet with Lissy. It was getting kinda late though for Bickslow and he was feeling like calling it a night. Lisanna just wouldn't take a hint though.

"Uh, Lissy?" he finally sighed, blowing smoke above his head and watching it dissipate. "It's getting late, kid."

"I know. I just-"

"Your brother and sister aren't-"

"Mira's completely moved out now, remember?" She was still over at his closet, looking at things. "And Elfman spends practically every day with Evergreen over at her place. Other than when they're at our place, which sucks just as much. It's so…lonely without them there."

He blinked. Then he took another drag before saying, "You miss 'em, eh?"

"Well, no. I just-"

"Then stay here," he said.

"What?"

"For the night," he said. Then, in the usual way he had, he screamed, "Or forever!"

"Forever," the babies declared, all chuckling darkly as they circled around her. "Forever, Lissy!"

"Bickslow-"

"Or just the night,' he sighed, going back with that. "You can sleep right here with Papa."

"Papa," the babies giggled.

"I'm so generous, aren't I, babies? Hospitable!"

"Hospitable," Pappa and Puppu yelled.

"Generous," the other three cried. Lisanna only turned to glance back at him.

"I don't…want…to do…"

"Kid," he sighed, moving to sit up some then. "We stay the night with one another all the time."

"Yeah, but not here. In your apartment. I-"

"What difference does it make?" He blew some smoke her way before moving to lay down once more. "Just stay the night. Or don't. Whatever. But decide now, because I want to know if I'mma have to walk you home."

She sent him a look for that one. "I wouldn't want you to walk me home anyhow. I'm a mage too! I'm so tired of you guys treating me like I'm not. I can look out for-"

"You're my girlfriend," he told her, voice taking a gruff tone as well. If she was going to be that way with him, then he was going to be the same back. "I'm going to take you home when it's, what? Midnight? So calm the hell down about it."

She snorted and he took another puff from his smoke before moving to dab it out in the ashtray on his nightstand. Great. They were both annoyed with one another.

But, not a few moments later, she was turning away from his closet and going to turn off the overhead light. Slowly, she moved to join him in bed.

"Papa. Lissy." The babies made a mad dive for the bed, each wanting to be the first to land and get the best spot on the bed. Pappa took to Lisanna's stomach as Peppe and Puppu fought over Bickslow's chest. Pippi just laid between them, still cackling, Poppo joining him quickly. "Papa. Lissy."

"You gonna sleep in that, kid?" Bickslow took to patting each of his babies on the head. "You can borrow somethin' of mine, if you want."

"I'm fine."

He shook his head slightly. "Whatever."

The two of them just laid there for awhile, his trying to drift off and her contemplating just leaving, when Pappa, the little baby of the group, suddenly got up and dashed out of the room, through the open bedroom door and to the living room. It took a few more seconds before the other babies followed.

"Wha-"

"Someone must be here," Bickslow sighed, moving to get out of bed. "Stay here. Be right back."

There was a knocking at his door about that time, a rather timid attempt at it. Lisanna only laid there in bed, watching him leave the room, not closing the door behind him. It was too dark out there for her to make out anything, but before he went to open the door, he turned on the light in the living room.

Then he opened it.

"'ey, boss," he greeted with a sigh. "I'd let you have the bed, but I have the lady here, yeah? And I don't think she's too keen on us sharing the couch so-"

"Wait, what?" Lisanna jumped out of bed, rushing out of the bedroom. She could see, even from there, who it was coming into the apartment, but she had to double check. Just to be sure that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. That she hadn't actually fallen asleep already and was just dreaming.

"What are you doing here?"

Laxus frowned at her. "I could ask you the same- Oh. Gross, Bickslow."

"We weren't…doing that," he said, scratching the back of his neck. He felt rather awkward then, the seith did, standing there in only a pair of jeans. "We were just going to sleep, 'as all."

"What are you doing here?" Lisanna repeated, frowning at him. "And why-"

"The boss sleeps here sometimes, kid," her boyfriend explained. "When Mirajane kicks him out of the-"

"Did I say you could fucking speak?" Laxus growled as the man as he only shrugged slightly.

"The lady asked. She-"

"Stop calling her a lady."

Bickslow's tongue, which had been out, slithered back up into his mouth. "Yes, boss."

"Boss," the babies chanted as they circled around the man. He only shoved pass them, headed over to Bickslow's little mini-fridge.

"Wait, so you let Mirajane kick you out?" Lisanna frowned, turning to glance at her future brother-in-law. "Seriously?"

"Shut up."

"Of the apartment that's solely yours? You-"

"Bickslow," Laxus said simply as the seith just moved to take his girlfriend by the arm.

"Hey, uh, Lissy? You still wanna go? Let me go put on some jeans and I'll walk you home, huh? Or-"

"What?" She jerked way from him. "Why do I have to leave? Laxus is the one-"

"Her voice is annoying me," Laxus told Bickslow as he went to sit down on the couch.

"Sorry, boss. Uh, Lissy-"

"No way, Bickslow. This is bull and you know it. He can't tell you what to do in your own home."

"No," Laxus said slowly as he popped the tab on his beer. "You can't tell him. Which is kinda sorry, considering you're apparently his…lady."

The babies snickered, Lisanna blushed, and Bickslow only hurried off to find a shirt and his helmet.

"You're so stupid," she told Laxus as she took to glaring at him. "And what then? Mirajane tells you what to do in your place?"

"Hell, yeah she does," he said as he tossed back some of his beer. "You know what? I get mine when I want it. How you doing on that front, Bickslow?"

"Uh, boss-" he complained as Lisanna only went to slip on her shoes which were by the door before heading out of it.

"Why did you do that?" Bickslow was back then, coming to chase after his girlfriend. "Laxus?"

"So I could have the bedroom." He stood up, downed the rest of his beer, before heading off to the room. "Wake me up at sunrise. Gotta get home and make up with Mirajane. Demon's much more agreeable when she first gets up."

Bickslow groaned as he ran out the door, the babies narrowly missing being shut on the other side of it.

"Papa," they complained.

"No time for apologies, babies," he called over his shoulder, racing down the hall. "We gotta catch Lissy!"

That wasn't hard, as it turned out, as they caught her out on the street. She wasn't walking too fast or nothing. And Bickslow, figuring that it'd be better not to make a big scene or something, just raced to get close to her before slowing to match her pace.

She didn't look at him.

He shifted his hands to his pockets.

"Take Lisanna home?" the babies asked as they followed along. When no one answered them, they took to making their standard noises, entertaining one another by floating around ahead or behind their master and his girlfriend, figuring that Papa wasn't in the mood for messing with them.

"You gotta learn to stop taking boss so seriously," Bickslow told her, his tongue staying in his mouth still. Freed and Evergreen told him that he spoke more clearly with it in there, but it was harder. He always managed to bite the tip, which he didn't like. "I mean-"

"I don't have to do anything, Bickslow. He's the one that's marrying  _my_  sister. Not the other way around. He-"

"Yeah, but Laxus is-"

"I am so tired of hearing from everyone else how great Laxus is. Fine. He's strong. And sometimes he pulls through for everyone. But for the most part, he treats the rest of us like we're beneath him."

"Well, we are. And that's okay. We-"

"No, Bickslow." She glanced at him. "He's not better than you. And neither are Freed or Evergreen. You're just as great as either of them. Stop letting them make you think that you're not."

He blinked behind his sallet before frowning and bowing his head. "What do you know anyhow, Lisanna? You just-"

"I know that I'm your girlfriend and that to me, you're definitely one of the strongest people in the entire guild."

More blinking. Then his frown disappeared, if only a little. "You're just trying to butter me up."

"Why would I do that?" Her tone and gaze shot that idea down quickly. "I'm pissed at you right now, idiot. If either of us should be buttering the other up, it should be you doing it to me."

"Well…I think you're pretty cute."

She only rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Bickslow."

And he did too. Until they got to the Strauss house. It was dark inside and she knew she would be home alone.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a frown as he followed her up the porch steps.

"What do ya mean? We gotta make sure that there ain't nobody in there," he said. "You know, check the perimeter!"

"The what?"

"The perimeter!" The babies were all fired up too, apparently. "Lissy!"

"Yeah! The perimeter!"

"Alright, alright," she complained, heading in. "Just shut up. I have neighbors, you know."

He and the babies only snickered. There was nothing they liked more than being loud.

"And the perimeter is the edge of the property, stupid," she told Bickslow as he only followed her in. "So-"

"We gotta check the inside too." He rushed in behind her, the babies following. "We have to-"

"No more yelling," she ordered. "And I'm going to bed."

He thought though that if he got her to laugh a little, he'd be out of the doghouse. So he went around the house, pretending to search out some baddies. It entertained the babies, but Lisanna couldn't have cared less. She didn't even leave her room again.

So, after giving up, he and the babies headed there.

"Uh, Lissy?" He knocked gently before opening the door. "Did you just want us to go?"

She had already changed for the night and was in her bed. Glancing over at him, she only shrugged. "I don't know why you'd stay."

"Well," he began slowly as he came further into the room, glancing around. When the babies followed, he shut the door behind them. "The babies were all stoked about you staying the night with us. Like a sleepover."

"Sleepover! Lissy!" Again, they all dove for the bed.

"Hey-"

"Well, if they're doing it." Bickslow headed over as well. "Scoot over, kid."

"Bickslow-"

He pulled off his shirt before moving to join her on the tiny bed. Lisanna was squished up against the wall and had to take to snuggle with him to get comfortable. He was fine with this though.

"Get your shoes off my bed."

"You get your shoes off my bed."

"That doesn't make sense!"

With a groan, he took to kicking his shoes off before moving to get under the covers with her. "So demanding."

"Lisanna." The babies took to laying up on their pillows or on their father's chest, next to her head. "Sleepover."

She found herself closing her eyes then, tightly, as she felt another blush coming on. When she opened then, she realized he was still in his sallet and moved to push it off his head.

"There." She sat it on the tiny table next to the bed that had her alarm clock and a lamp. "Better?"

He only grinned, tongue once more falling from his mouth. "Much."

* * *

When Mirajane heard a knock at the apartment door early the next morning, she was expecting it to be Laxus. For him to come in, saying sorry for their fight the day before (he'd once again gone out for hours without telling her) and that he loved her. And Nathan. And their relationship.

"You're my demon," she could picture him saying as she only pretended to give him the cold shoulder. "I would do anything for you. You know that. Just name your price."

And she would say something outlandish, like how she wanted him to give her another child and he'd grin, because he always thought she was so funny, before throwing his arms around her and they'd laugh before they went back to their room to have some lazy makeup sex before Nate got up and-

Wait, why would Laxus knock instead of just come in?

With a groan, Mirajane pushed up out of bed before going to find out who it really was because she had a sinking feeling that though she could kick the Thunder God out of his house, she could not very well keep him from barging in when he thought the ban was lifted.

"Elfman." She frowned as he only stood on the other side of the door, his grin big. "And you too, Ever. Is something wrong? Laxus isn't here if that's what-"

"We're engaged!" Elfman took her into his arms immediately, rushing into the house to hug her. Mirajane was in shock for a moment.

"Y-You're what?" She had a sudden flash of Tenrou.

"It's true." Ever sounded a lot less enthused. "He wanted to come right over here and-"

"You gotta help me pick out her ring. You-"

"Elf, put me down." Mirajane found herself grinning. "And how could you have asked her without a ring?"

"There wasn't a lot of asking."

Mirajane only put that out of her mind as she in turn, once she was on the ground, rushed to go through her arms around Ever. The woman reacted about how Mira expected, immediately trying to shove her off.

"Hey, now," she complained. "I'm not-"

"Oh, this is so great!" Mirajane couldn't help it as she started giggling. "So how long after the baby are you going to be getting married?"

"Oh, gross, no. That brat's ruined everything else for me," Evergreen said as Mirajane only released her. "It's not going to ruin my wedding by being around."

"Ever." Elfman sent her a look before glancing back at his sister. "We're doing it real soon."

Mirajane frowned, the words coming down heavy on her. "H-How soon, Elf?"

"Oh, probably in the coming weeks," he said with a shrug. "We don't want nothing big. Ever just wants a nice dress and I want a bachelor party!"

"No bachelor parties," Ever said, glaring at him then. "It's in the rules, remember?"

"That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair."

"Men deserve parties! What are you? Jealous?"

"No," she said slowly, just staring at him. "I just don't want to see how hurt you'll get when no one in the guild comes."

"What do you mean? Of course they'd come."

"Freed and Bickslow would because I made them, but that'd be about it. And I don't want to deal with you sobbing."

"Why are you being so mean?"

"I'm not being mean, idiot," she growled. "I'm being a realist. I-"

"I'm not an idiot! You're so-"

"A few weeks, you say?" Mirajane glanced between them. "B-But Evergreen, don't you want, like, a perfect wedding or-"

"No, not really." She took to glancing at her nails. "I'll save that for next time. You know, when I marry for love or something silly like that."

Elfman was growing annoyed. "Stop being mean to me."

"Not mean. Realist."

"Stop-"

"But a few weeks… Do you mean before my wedding?" Mirajane thought that she was planning hers soon, being only three months off. But the way they were talking… "Evergreen?"

"I haven't really thought of it," she said with a shrug. "But I guess so."

Mira blinked. Then she said, "You can't do that. I…I want to get married first. You guys-"

"I think Nate's crying," Elfman told her as, sure enough, the toddler started up from his room, no doubt awoken by all the racket. "And hey, you said Laxus isn't around? 'cause Ever kinda wants to tell him next. But we have to stop by and tell Lisanna first, Ever. You know that."

"I know nothing."

Then, after patting his sister on the head, Elfman and Evergreen were gone. Mira stood there for a moment, not moving until suddenly, a very annoyed three year old came into the room.

"Mira," Nathan complained, his dog following as he headed over to the woman. How dare she not come when he started crying! Did she not know that he was in immense turmoil? And fine, so maybe the turmoil was self brought on by an overactive imagination, but so what? That didn't make it any less real to him! He had needed her. "No come?"

"Oh, Nate," she sighed, turning to pick him up. He took notice of the way she was still staring at the door and only frowned, nuzzling up against her.

A normal person though wouldn't be worried about Mirajane in that moment. No, they would be worried about Laxus. Who, soon enough, would be walking into the mayhem that was about to erupt between the Strauss siblings. Err, more Ever and Mirajane.

Man, if he'd only known that, he'd have at least taken a few beers for the road from Bickslow's in preparation. 'cause, boy, would he need them.

 


	3. Chapter 3

  


"-not fair, Laxus. I mean, why would they do this to me? Why? Elfman knows that there's nothing more in the world that I want than my wedding." Then, as an afterthought, Mirajane glanced over at him. "And you and Nate, of course. But-"

"Mira," he groaned from where he stood behind her. "Don't you think that you're making kind of a bigger deal out of this than-"

That time, the look she gave him wasn't a glance. It was a glare. "What do you mean, Laxus?"

"Uh," he tried, rubbing at the back of his neck. They were in the guest bathroom, her down on her knees in front of the tub, bathing Nathan. He'd gotten rather sticky at breakfast with his syrup. Laxus was hoping in that moment that the brat would save him, but he didn't appear like he was going to. "Just that…you know. Ever's pregnant. Not you. So she really needs to get married for…whatever stupid reason. So-"

"Whose fault is it, Laxus, that I'm not pregnant? Huh? Because I know that I-"

"Mirajane," he groaned. "Look, it's just one of those things that you do when you knock your girlfriend up. You marry her real quick. Hope that no one ever calls your kid a bastard. No offense, Nate."

"Laxus!"

The little boy just kept playing with his bath toys, oblivious to them. Mira had bought him some little kid bubble bath. The kind where the bottle was shaped like an animal. He was pretty much in heaven and completely unconcerned with whatever little tiff his parents were getting into.

"It was a joke," Laxus grumbled. "Come on, Mira. I was just-"

"That's not funny. None of this is funny."

He only let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Nate, that I said that. Okay, buddy? There, Mira are you- Mira, he's eating the bubbles."

Looking back at the child, she made a face before moving to bat at him. "Nathan, no. That's nasty."

"Bubbas."

"No."

Laxus made his escape then, heading out of the bathroom and into his room. Sleeping over Bickslow's had turned into a bust. The freak hadn't even come back after taking Lisanna home! Which meant that Laxus slept late and, apparently, missed out on making up with Mirajane. Now Ever and Elfman had her all riled up and he wasn't sure what he was going to do to bring her back down.

He grabbed the book he was reading at that time off the nightstand before going to lay down in bed. Sleeping in Bickslow's had really messed with his mind. It felt nice to be back in his own, sleek purple sheets and-

"No. Go away. I'm relaxing."

The dog only barked before moving to jump up on the bed. Laxus growled, but the dog only growled back.

Great. They were at a stalemate.

"Daddy!" Not ten minutes later, Nate showed up, all dressed for the day. "Gonna go park?"

"Who told you that we were? Because we're not. No one said anything about the dang park."

Nathan only scrambled up on the bed with his dog and father. "Go park!"

"No."

Undeterred by his old man's resistance, Nathan only to snuggling up close to the man, getting under one of his arms.

"Read?"

"Nothing that you're interested in, brat."

"Laxus read me story. Yes?"

"No."

"P'ease?"

"Nathan-"

"Here you are."

And Mirajane was back. Sigh.

"I'm reading to the kid," Laxus said. "So we can't talk anymore. I'm, you know, educating 'im about stuff."

"No." Nathan slipped out of his father's grasp. "Mommy! Laxus not readin' to me."

"He's not? Well that's strange, Nate, because that would mean that he just lied to me."

Laxus sent his kid a glare. Stupid brat.

"Mirajane, I don't know what you want me to do," Laxus said as Nathan crawled over to the edge of the bed before jumping off, letting her catch him. She'd always catch him. "I mean, seriously. I have no control over your big oaf of a brother. But I know that if you just told him that you wanted for him to get married after you were married, that he'd do it. He strives off your approval."

Mira stared at him for a moment as Nathan only wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, wanting her attention.

How dare she pay more attention to Laxus?

At that moment though, all Laxus wanted was for the brat to steal her away. Figures when he's horny, the kid's a master at getting her interest, but when he just wants some down time, the brat's suddenly novice in the skill.

And Mira wanted another one of those?

"I guess you're right," she said softly as Nathan kissed her cheek. She still only stared at Laxus.

"Of course I'm right. When aren't I right?" He went back to his book. "Now don't you have to get down to the guildhall or something? Work, right?"

"Yeah." She kissed Nathan then, on the head, before going to set him down on the bed once more. "I should go get ready."

Nathan blamed his father then, as Mirajane headed off into the bathroom. It was his fault that Mirajane didn't want to pay him any attention!

"Laxus," he complained, glaring at him.

"Brat, I wanted you to have her to," he said, not believing for a moment that he was that in sync with the brat. But he was. "I really did. Maybe she'll take you with her to the guildhall."

But by the time Mirajane got out of the bathroom, Nathan had already marched off to his own room, to play with some of his toys, missing his opportunity at going, as Mirajane never liked to bother him when he was distracted and she was leaving. Then he'd make a big scene, with tears and such.

He didn't like goodbyes.

When he heard that front door close though, all the way from his bedroom, that caught his attention.

"Mira!"

Laxus groaned as the kid ran down the hall, passed his father's open bedroom door. It disturbed the dog, who jumped off the bed to go find out what was wrong with the little master. "Mommy!"

"She's gone, Nate." Laxus got up too, knowing he was going to have to go get the boy. "She went to work. It's not fair for her to always have to take you with her. You're a big boy. You know how to be without Mirajane."

Then, feeling slightly malicious that day, when he got to the boy, Laxus only picked him up and added something else.

"Besides, brat," he said as he bounced him. "Just wait until Mirajane gets another baby, huh? Won't you be sad then, when she hardly has time for you? Use this as experience."

Another baby? Nathan frowned. Mirajane had talked to him a few times about how Evergreen and Elfman were having a baby and it would be his cousin and they could play together, just like him and Asuka, but he'd be the older one then. It sounded great!

But…Mira was gonna get one of those too? Another baby?

Slumping against his father, he only moaned slightly. "Daddy?"

"What?"

"Marry me?"

Laxus only shook his head, carrying him off to the bedroom. "Not today, Nate. We play wedding too much. Let's play a new game."

He liked those. Games. Especially new ones! Wedding was starting to get old.

Of course, whatever game Laxus was about to teach him wouldn't be as great as it would be if Mirajane was around, he was sure, but since she apparently ditched him, he was stuck with his father.

"It's called library." Laxus dropped Nate on the bed once they got back into the bedroom. "I'm a person at the library and reading. And you're the librarian, so you just sit there and…I don't care what you do, but don't bother me, alright? Daddy's busy."

Needless to say, even Mirajane couldn't make library better. It was the worst game ever!

Sigh.

When would Mirajane get home?

* * *

"I'm not entirely certain, Mirajane," Lucy said after the woman finished speaking. "Don't you think you're kinda…overreacting?"

She only cocked her head to the side, as if inquisitive. She wasn't at home, with Laxus. She was up at the guild and her normal charm was in full effect. "Overreacting? Not at all, Lucy. I just meant that perhaps Ever and Elf could be a tad more considerate towards me and Laxus. I mean, they've been together a lot longer and have had more of a chance to plan for this. Yet they waited for me to have my moment? That just sounds rather rude, if you ask me."

"I guess so," she sighed, picking at her food. Natsu, who was next to her, laughed loudly.

"What chumps," he said. "Elfman and Laxus sure are stupid."

"What do you mean?" Mirajane asked, staring at him then.

"You know. Gettin' married and stuff." Natsu laughed. "What's the point?"

"The point, Natsu," Lucy complained, frowning at her boyfriend as Happy only sighed, "is that you love someone and want to be with them for the rest of your life."

He blinked. Then he glanced at her. "You wanna get married, Luce?"

"W-What?"

Happy snickered. "Ew, Natsu. Don't get married to her. Anyone, but her!"

"Shut up, you stupid cat," she hissed.

"Do ya, Luce?" Natsu fist pumped. "We're gonna get married so hard! Harder than Laxus and Mira."

"What does that even mean?"

"No," Mira said then, frowning at them. "You two can't get-"

"He's just joking," Lucy told Mirajane, though her face had begun to heat up regardless. "We're not… No. We're not getting married."

Mirajane bowed her head. "Not that it would matter to me, of course. I was just…"

"Natsu, you love Lucy so much," Happy mocked. "Even though she's a complete weirdo."

"I'm not a weirdo!"

Natsu went back to eating. "Hey, Mirajane. Now that you're gonna marry Laxus, you think that you can help me out with something?"

"With what?" she asked though Lucy, already reading the tone of her boyfriend with ease, took to rolling her eyes.

"You should make it to where he has to fight me," he told her. "You know, a major battle. Me and him! He never listens to me when I say we should. Which will probably be every day. So be prepared to change his bandages every night, huh? I'mma show him who's boss!"

Mirajane found herself giggling then, try as hard as she did not to, just because Natsu always had the affect on her. She thought that he was cute. Almost like a little boy.

"Oy, Lissy. We gotta hang around the bar today? I was gonna do real important stuff today."

Mirajane glanced over then, further down the bar, as her younger sister sat down, the resident seith in tow.

"We're not staying here all day," Lisanna said as he only slouched forwards, his dolls taking to dancing around his head, in an attempt to cheer him up. "Just long enough for me to tell Mira about-"

"About what?"

Lisanna frowned as her sister just popped up. "Oh, hey, Mirajane. I-"

"I want something strong to drink," Bickslow told her. "Something that'll put some hair on my chest. Like a real man!"

Mira frowned as Lisanna only rolled her eyes.

"Are you-"

"He's just mocking Elf," Lisanna said. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Has he seen you yet? He came to the house talking about how he and Ever are-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Isn't it just so silly?" Lisanna giggled as Bickslow only shook his head.

"I already know what boss will say," the seith said. "He'll talk about how bad it is already that they're reproducing. Marriage too? Yuck."

"Yuck," his babies agreed. "Yuck."

"You're one of the people that pushed them together," Lisanna said, making a face at him.

"I once put together a sandwich that consisted of hamburger meat, potato salad, and fish, Lisanna. That doesn't meant hat I ended up liking it together!"

Mirajane went off to fetch him his drink. "I'm not too thrilled about it either, Lisanna."

"What do you mean? I thought you'd be all, you know." Lisanna threw her hands up in the air, mimicking her sister. "Yay, wedding."

"Yay," the babies cheered. "Wedding!"

Bickslow nodded. "Sounded like something you'd like, Mira."

"I would," she said, coming back over to Bickslow with his alcohol. "If they weren't insisting on doing it before my wedding."

Lisanna frowned. "So what? Why do you care if-"

"Why do I care if they try to upstage me, Lisanna? Gee, I don't know. Gosh. You sound just like Laxus."

"Never," Lisanna began, giving her sister a look, "say that again. I mean it."

"You-"

"Gah!" Bickslow dropped his glass, falling out of his chair backwards while clawing at his throat.

"Bickslow!" Lisanna dropped to the ground almost immediately as Mirajane looked on in worry. "Are you… What?"

"P-Poison!"

Lisanna stared up at her sister in an accusatory manner. "I know you guys are mad that he spent the night last night, but seriously?"

"What are you- Hey! He spent the night?"

"Papa!" The babies were circling over head, worried. "Papa!"

"W-Water," he croaked out as Lucy, who was still up at the bar, rushed to bring him her glass.

"Here." She moved to cradle his head and help him drink it. "Are you choking or-"

He sat up all on his own then, theatrics over. Downing the water, he quickly shoved the glass as Lucy before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Lissy, got any hair?" He moved to pull up his shirt. "'cause that stuff was strong!"

Lucy about dropped her glass in shock as Lisanna only stared at him with wide eyes.

"You were…joking?" his girlfriend asked slowly as he got to his feet.

"Not jokin', no," he said before looking at Mira. "When I said strong, I didn't mean that strong!"

Mirajane frowned. "So you're okay?"

"No way am I okay. Seriously. That stuff was-"

"You big dope!" Lisanna got up too then, moving to hit him in the arm.

"Ow, Lissy."

"Why would you do that?" She moved to hit him again as Lucy only let out a breath before moving to get up as well and head over to her own boyfriend. "Bickslow? That was stupid!"

"Stupid, Papa," the babies agreed. They too had been worried. Then again, considering they got worried when Bickslow took an exceptionally long time in the bathroom, that wasn't took big of a stretch. "Stupid."

Mira was still staring. "So what was this I heard then about spending the night together?"

Lisanna blushed then, glancing over at her sister and Bickslow reclaimed his seat. After a moment, she moved to do the same.

"It was your fault," she told Mirajane. "You're the one that had Laxus come stay the night at Bickslow's. I was over there and, by the way, he was a major jerk to me."

"Really now."

"Yeah. Just like always. If anything, I think you should just forgo marrying him all together."

Mira shook her head before turning to get back to work. "Not happening."

"Your funeral."

"Her wedding," Bickslow corrected. "And Elfman and Ever's too!"

Ugh.

Mirajane was ready to start complaining about Elfman again when she heard a noise so familiar to her that she recognized it immediately.

"Mirajane. The boy is giving me a headache."

She frowned as Laxus came into the bar, carrying Nathan along with him. He only went to drop the child on the bar.

"And before you say anything, no, I didn't hit him or anything. I just-"

"No mo' li'rary," Nathan complained as Mirajane only moved to pick him up. "No mo'."

"Lie Larry?" Lisanna frowned as Mirajane took to snuggling the toddler. "Who's Larry, Laxus?"

"I have no idea what he's talking about." Laxus shook his head. "I don't-"

"Library."

"Huh?" Lisanna frowned at her boyfriend as Laxus shot him a look.

"Library." He shrugged at them. "That's what the kid is saying. Duh."

"How do you-"

"I am a father of five," Bickslow complained. "You think I can't understand a kid?"

"You're a father of souls. Not children."

"I resent the accusation, Lisanna."

"It's not an accusation! It's the truth!"

"Library." Mirajane looked down at the child in her arms. "Who took you to the library, Nate?"

He pointed a finger at Laxus who snorted in response.

"Laxus-"

"Why do you believe the fables of a small child? Over me?"

"Because I find the fables more trustworthy."

"Mirajane-"

"What did you guys do at the library?" She sat Nathan on the ground behind the bar when he finished whining. He took to wrapping his arms around her legs, sniffling. "Tell me. Now."

"It was a…game. Where…I made him sit quietly as I read. And if he spoke, I'd shush him. Apparently, he's not going to be a librarian when he grows up."

"That? That's what made him so upset?"

"…And I mighta got upset at the dog at one point and screamed at it a lot. He didn't like that much either."

"My puppa." Nathan buried his face in Mirajane's dress. "Bad Laxus!"

"I agree," Lisanna said. "For completely other reasons, but-"

"Lissy," Bickslow mumbled as she only glared at her future brother-in-law. "Maybe you, uh, chill out some? Or-"

"Laxus, what did you do to my dog?" Mirajane asked. "He's our baby!"

"Shhh. Keep that down a level, huh, demon?" He glanced around, afraid someone overheard. Only Lucy, who was staring down the bar at them. When their eyes locked though, she quickly faced forwards again.

"Natsu," she whispered. "Let's go. I-"

"Huh?" He looked around. "Ah! Laxus! Fight me!"

"You really can't read a situation, can you?" she complained as her boyfriend only jumped up.

"You hear me, Laxus? I'm challenging you! Or are you a coward? Is that it? Huh?"

He went running at Laxus then, but the lightning mage only held out one arm, balled into a fist. Natsu somehow managed to run right into it.

"Mira," Laxus was growling then as he didn't even pay attention to the other guy, who fell back on his butt. "I didn't do nothing to the dog. Except yell at it. And I might of hit it. But not with my hand! With a shoe. Like a decent dog owner."

"I can't believe you."

"I can't believe that you're defending an animal that rips up my clothes!"

"Well, maybe, Laxus, if you didn't leave them all over the floor, he wouldn't have a chance to!"

"Sheesh, Lissy. Our fights are never this stupid," Bickslow grumbled. "Maybe they don't belong together."

"See? I knew you'd end up on my side."

"This was an unfair fight," Natsu was complaining then as he got to his feet, still a tad dizzy. "You were distracted!"

"And you still loss," Happy snickered. "Doesn't that tell you somethin'?"

Even still, Laxus was zoned in on his girlfriend. "Okay, so the kid through a fit and I was unable to comfort him. And yeah, I might have given the dog a little swat. But there has to be something I can do to make it up to you, huh?"

Mirajane only stared him down. "Tell Ever to move her wedding until after ours."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Ever does whatever you want her to."

"But I thought you were just going to tell Elfman to-"

"I haven't seen them yet. And that will be my next course of action. But right now, I want-"

"No way."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Laxus looked off then. "Evergreen, Freed, this idiot right here-"

"I think he's talkin' about ya, Lissy," Bickslow whispered.

"He's talking about you, stupid."

"-I might not always treat 'em right, but they're the most loyal people I know. You think that I'm going to ruin something for Ever? Forget it, Mira. You're just being a selfish, whinny, stupid- Ah, don't start that. You're making me look like the bad guy here."

"You'd think you'd be used to it by now," Happy remarked. When the Thunder God sent him a look though, he quickly chased after Lucy, who was ushering Natsu out of the guildhall, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he tried to go after the man again. That was all they needed, Laxus knocking a few more of the guy's few brain cells loose.

"I'm not trying to," Mirajane complained as her eyes welled with tears. Bickslow's babies took to trying to comfort her. "But when you call me names and insult me, I-"

"Alrihgt, alright. I'll…talk to Ever. But you gotta talk to your stupid brother too," he added at the end. Just like that Mira's tears were gone and she was picking Nate up again, to hand him to his father.

That was when the original problem popped back up.

"No," he complained as Laxus took him. "No mo' li'rary."

"No more torturing the kid or dog, Laxus," Mirajane sighed then as the man only made a face down at his son. "I can't believe that I'm having to say that."

"I can," Lisanna remarked to her boyfriend who only snickered.

It was later though, after they spent some more time up at the bar, that they found themselves heading back to Bickslow's place. It was one of the rare days that he had absolutely nothing to do and they wanted to spend the rest of it in a quiet place.

So that's how they found themselves, sharing a smoke, as they laid out on his living room floor. Lisanna's mind was a little hazy as they laid there next to one another when she suddenly sat up some.

"Hey, Bickslow," she said as he only laid there, eyes shut.

"Hmmm?"

"I finally got it."

"Finally got it," his babies all mimicked.

Lisanna only grinned at him though. "I know how I'm going to get back at Mirajane. And it's going to be awesome."

 


	4. Chapter 4

  


"Let's tell her that we're getting married."

Bickslow opened his eyes for that. Maybe he had heard her wrong. Or maybe she was just too stoned.

"Huh?"

"Yeah." Lisanna nodded her head. "And she'll-"

"Lissy, I don't wanna… I mean, I really like you, kid, but-"

"Ew, gross, no, I don't want to really marry you."

He blinked. "What do you mean gross?"

She fell back then, onto her back, as they laid there on his apartment floor. "She'll, like, flip, you know? And we can let her think it for a few days and then tell her it was all a gag. Won't that be funny?"

He only stared at her. "Why was it gross?"

"Oh, Bickslow."

"Oh me? Oh nothing!" He gave her a look. "I'm not gross, am I, babies?"

"Gross," they all repeated. "Gross."

"I'm not gross!"

Lisanna held her hand out, waiting for him to pass the blunt. "It'll be, like, super funny, Bickslow."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. She'll be so pissed that me and Elf are both ruining her big day, you know?"

"How long do we have to pretend to be engaged?"

"Not long. And it's not like it'll change anything between us." She giggled. "But we're going to have to buy a fake ring, you know."

"Do we have to?"

"We have to."

"All this because you think that she's being mean about planning a wedding? I mean, Lissy-"

"But think about it," she said then. "Now it's my turn. I'll totally blow off work to plan our wedding."

"But Lissy," he said slowly. "Laxus has, like, a ton of jewels. That's how come Mirajane can plan a nice wedding. I'm a struggling father of five-"

"Stop saying that!"

"My point is that she won't buy it. And what if your brother, like, tries to kill me or something? Are you willing to become a single mother? Take in my babies? Are you?"

"Bickslow-"

"Well, are you?"

"You're making a bigger deal out of this than is necessary."

"They're going to make a big deal out of it, Lisanna! Elfman flipped this morning when he showed up to find that I stayed the night."

"You're really scared of Elfman? Really?"

"Lisanna, his muscles are the size of my head!"

"You could take him."

He snorted. "I'm not saying that I couldn't. There's no way that I couldn't. I'm, like, one of the most amazing mages ever, huh?"

"Mmmhmm. You could take anybody."

"Maybe not  _anybody_ ," he said, laughing slightly. Lisanna could make him bashful at times. "But I am pretty great, huh?"

"I think so."

"Well, you know. I work out. And eat good. Most of the time. I put my pants on one leg at a time. Just a normal guy here. Nothin' special."

She blinked. Then she sat up some. "Hey, Bickslow?"

"Huh?" He was still mulling over being Lisanna's hero, which he pretty much decided he was then. It was such big shoes to fill, being someone's number one. But hey, somebody had to do it, huh?

"You've never, like, been engaged or something before, have you?"

"Nah, kid. Not even fake engaged."

Gigging, she said, "So…I'm kinda your first?"

He glanced at her then. "Lisanna, you're hardly my first."

"Bickslow-"

He sat up then too, just so that he could kiss her. Taking the smoke back, he puffed some before falling onto his back again.

"How are we even going to do this? And I mean, are we going to pretend like it was real and then fake breakup for a bit? Because I don't think I can handle that."

"You can't?"

"No," he told her, shaking her head. "Not at all."

"Not at all," the babies agreed. "Lisanna, don't go!"

"Don't go!" Bickslow shut his eyes. "We need you, kid. Who else would make sure that we eat and don't drink so much that we throw up?"

"When you say we, you really just mean you. And I assume the person that did it before me."

"It was nobody! My breath used to smell like puke all the time. And I lied. I'm not super fit from working out. I don't eat! I need you."

"We need you," the babies told her. "Lissy."

She moved closer to him, so that she could rest against his side. "We don't have to fake breakup if you don't wanna. We can just tell her it was a joke. Although, I thought that you would like the theatrics of a big breakup."

"Hmmm." Then he peeked an eye open. "Nah. I don't think that I could put the babies through all that turmoil. They have problems with separating jokes and facts. They'd really think that you were walkin' out on us! And that wouldn't be okay."

"Don't go," the babies said as they floating around in the air, Pappa diving down to land next to Lisanna. "Don't go."

"I won't," she told them. "I promise."

He chuckled then. "You really are the best friend a person could have, kid."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And what exactly gives me that qualification?"

"Mmmm… You're really smart."

"I am not."

"You're smarter than me and the babies combined."

"Combined," they insisted.

"While I like you guys," she said slowly. "That's really not much of an accomplishment."

He shook his head. "Even though you're hurtin' us, here, we will also admit that you're pretty dang funny."

"Pretty? I'm completely."

"Meh."

"My humor just goes over your head," she told him. "It goes back to that whole being smarter than you thing."

"Combined," the babies reminded.

"And you're hot," Bickslow added.

"Oh, whatever."

"You are! We're, like, the most attract couple in all of Fairy Tail, yeah?"

"Me and you?"

"Me and you!"

"Me and you," the babies all told one another. "Me and you."

"No way," Lisanna said. "I mean…Erza and Mira are, like, the hottest women. And then Lucy. And Evergreen. And Cana. And Laki. And-"

"You sell yourself short, babe."

"No, I don't."

"You do to me," he said, glancing down at her then. "I think you're easily in the top three."

"Who are your top three?"

"Lissy-"

"You started it."

"Mmmm…you, obviously."

"Bickslow-"

"And Erza's kinda… She's gotta lot of cool costumes, yeah?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "She does."

"Like that one with-"

"Bickslow."

"Oh. And uh…huh."

"Don't huh me. You know that you're thinking of someone."

He was. He was thinking of a lotta someones. But the problem was that he knew no matter who he said, he was in trouble.

Mirajane? Then he was a freak that was attracted to his girlfriend's sister and Lisanna would always question anything involving the two off them.

Lucy? Natsu had already proven who he found to be the victor between the two and, well, considering Bickslow was now dating Lisanna, it was obvious why saying he too found her attractive wasn't a good game plan.

Saying Erza had been safe because, well, for one he had little contact with her for the most part. And two, she was completely out of his league. He just needed someone else that…

"Juvia."

Lisanna blinked. "Juvia?"

"Juvia," he said, nodding his head slightly before taking a puff. Moving then, he slipped out from under her to get up and get a drink as well as put out his smoke. He needed a cigarette then anyhow.

"You really think-"

"She's pretty dang hot," he said. "But weird. And just… Nah. She's, like, creepy as hell. And I'm not into chicks that just give it all away, you know? Me and you have fun just hanging out, learning shit about each other. She gives it all up, right there, for Gray. She bears it all. But you're not like that. You're fun, kid. Real fun."

Lisanna only blinked before closing her eyes. "You're fun too."

"You're one of my best friends now, kid."

"Yeah," she sighed. "You're mine too."

* * *

"Laxus! I wasn't expecting you. Come in."

He'd rather have not. But…

"Your boyfriend around?" he grumbled as Ever pulled him into the apartment.

"Nope. Just me. And hey, have you heard? I'm getting-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Isn't it great?" Ever giggled as Laxus only looked around, just to be certain that Elfman wasn't lurking in the shadows. "You can totally be Elfman's best man if you wanna."

"His best- Why would I-"

"Well, I just thought-"

"Doesn't he have any actual friends to-"

"Of course he has friends!" Ever looked off then, letting Laxus' arm go so that she could cross her own. "He just… He has friends is the point, okay?"

"Whatever." Laxus went over to the couch. "I came here to talk to you about something important."

"Important?" She rushed out of the living room and to the kitchen to get him a beer. "Well, are you hungry? Or-"

"Just get over here."

Returning to him quickly, she handed him his drink before taking a seat next to him on the couch.

"So," she prompted. "Did you come to tell me that-"

"I want you to move your wedding. Or cancel it. I'm not too picky, but-"

"Laxus!" She put a hand to her cheek, turning away from him. "I think that you've misjudged my interactions with you. I mean, sure, I'm devoted to you…but I thought that you were in love with Mirajane? I…I can't believe that you're here, trying to ruin my wedding. This is all so…dramatic. I… I'm carrying Elfman's child, but you're-"

"You sound like the water mage," he grumbled. "Look, I'm not-"

"All this time you've been harboring feelings for me. Well… I love Elfman, Laxus. and I really think-"

"I'm not coming onto you, freak!" He growled then. "I'm doing this for Mirajane. She doesn't want you guys having your wedding before her. So she asked me to-"

"Then you're not… Oh." Ever was blushing then, still refusing to look at him. "Well, I… Why should I have to move my wedding? Elf and I aren't doing anything big. We're just-"

"I know," Laxus sighed. "But you know the demon. She'll all crazy and shit. Doesn't want her wedding day to be over shined. So… I won't tell you that you have to change the date or nothin'. But just think about it. Huh?"

He stood then. "Thanks for the beer. I'll see myself out. And uh, Ever?"

"Yeah?" She glanced over at him.

"If ever it seems like I'm coming onto you again…just know that I'm not. Alright?"

"I was only-"

"Yeah, just… It's never happening." With that, he left the apartment with a sigh. At least that would get him back on Mira's good side.

She was at home when he got there, Nathan already down for the night, and her making Laxus some dinner.

"What'd the kid eat?" he asked as he came to take a seat at the table and await his dinner.

"I just made him a sandwich. He wasn't too hungry. But you're getting steak."

"I deserve a steak," he sighed.

"Hmmm?"

"Ever thought… When I was over at her place, and trying to tell her about how you wanted her to move the wedding she…"

"What, Laxus? Did she-"

"She thought that I was hitting on her."

Mirajane, who was over at the stove, glanced back at him. "What?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Great. So now she tries to steal my wedding and my fiancé?"

"Believe me, she wasn't too thrilled by it either." Laxus shook his head. "She just went into this spiel about how she was having Elfman's baby and that I really shouldn't be putting her in that situation. That she loved him or something."

"Or something."

"Anyhow, I set her straight."

"So?"

"So?" he repeated. "What are you-"

"So is she moving her wedding?"

"Oh. I dunno."

"What do you mean, Laxus? That you don't know? How come you not-"

"I told her to think about moving it, because it'd make you happy, and then-"

"Laxus," Mirajane complained. "You weren't supposed to give her an option. You were just supposed to-"

"Hey, I did my job, alright?" He shook his head at her. "Whatever you do with your brother is between you and him now. I told Ever what I think and she'll make her choice. Though, Mirajane, I'm still going to say it; you're overreacting. You do this. You get worked up over little things because you always have to grin and bear the big things. But you need to get over that. Or at least this one tiny thing. Please. I'll… I mean, I'm already giving you a wedding and I'm trying to give you another baby, but whatever else you want, I'll do. Seriously. Just drop this."

"I can't," Mira told him indignantly. Sheesh. She was always the one that was expected to compromise. It was someone else's turn.

"Of course not. I mean, seriously, Mirajane, there has to be something that I can give you to make you-"

"This isn't about buying me off, Laxus. This is about me wanting-"

"I get that. Really, I… Well, actually no. A lot of this is kinda weird to me and I'm not entirely certain why you're putting such an importance on this shit, but I do get that it's important to you. So I'm trying here, Mira, to make it important to me. Or at least give you something important back. Like…you want another dog? Or-"

"No. And by the way, I could tell when I got home today that he was rather depressed because his daddy yelled at him."

"Mira, it's a dog."

"He's not just a dog! He's like our baby. Nate thinks of him like his brother. He-"

"You know, sometimes, you really make me wish I was still single."

"Laxus!"

"Well."

"You're not allowed to say that."

Grunt. Then, "I like you and Nate and sometimes, the dog's pretty okay, I guess. It's just…you're a lot to handle, Mirajane."

"Oh? And I'm just living easy with you? You're temperamental too. You-"

"I never said that I wasn't. But-"

"But nothing, Laxus. You're just as bad as me. If not worse. But the things you want you're able to justify them. The things I want tough, you don't understand so therefore, you chose not to even try. You're just as self-centered as ever."

"Are you serious, Mirajane? Just because I don't want to help you ruin Ever's life, I'm the bad guy? That doesn't even make any sense."

"Oh, whatever."

Needless to say, their dinner was ruined from that point on. And no, for the record, Mirajane didn't kick Laxus out of the apartment. Or the bedroom. He just chose to sleep on the couch. Because he likes it better out there sometimes.

That's all.

* * *

"Laxus came onto you?"

"You're missing the point."

Elfman frowned at his girlfriend. Err, fiancée. "No, I really don't think that I am."

"The point is that your…sister has recruited Laxus to try and make us cancel our wedding."

"That don't sound right," he told her. "I mean, Mirajane loves weddings. And romance. And me! So why would she hate our wedding?"

He had gotten to Ever's place that night to find her already in bed. He'd spent the night up at the guild, trying to find something to do. But he'd apparently missed Bickslow and Lisanna while Mirajane hadn't taken the night shift. And with Ever not being there, well…you could only scold the others on being a man so much.

"I don't know, Elfman," Ever complained as he stretched out on her bed. "Maybe because she hates me?"

"What?" He started chuckling again. "Mira doesn't hate you. She loves you!"

"She does not."

"She loves us together, at least."

"Apparently not."

"Ever-"

"What do you want me to think, Elfman? She had her boyfriend, who she knows I admire more than anyone-"

"Again, I don't see the attraction, but okay."

"-come over here and try and talk me out of marrying you. How crazy is that?"

"Crazy is a harsh word."

"Your sister is crazy! She was crazy when we were kids when she'd run around, acting all hard, and she is now too. She just got better at hiding it."

He never liked to hear bad things said about Mirajane. She was such a man! But…Ever…

"I don't want for it to always be this way."

He glanced at her then, in the darkness. "What way?"

"A competition between me and Mira. It's not going to be one, Elfman. She might have won Laxus, fine, but-"

"When were you in a competition to get Laxus anyhow? Huh? I-"

"-I won you. So… That's how it is. Either you're with me, Elfman, and our baby, or you're still a little boy who has to hide behind his sister."

He shut his eyes then. "You don't know what you're talking about. You must be confused. Mirajane loves us. So Laxus must just be toying with you. He does that, you know. For as great as you all think he is, he does some really seedy things. So maybe you should stop trying to attack my relationship with my sister and focus on the one you have with your creepy leader."

"He's not my leader. He-"

"I mean, maybe he was coming onto you," Elfman reasoned. "And when that when awry, he had to figure something else out. An easy excuse for how he was acting. Which would be Mira and all her weird emotions. Simple."

"It is not that simple. Your sister-"

"Your leader-"

"He's not my leader!"

"Idol. Whatever. He wanted to cash in on it. Screw around with you and my sister. And that's not okay!" Elfman, though he was tired, still managed a fist pump. "And in the morning, I'll teach him. Show him what a real man is."

"Elfman, you big dope! Don't go get yourself killed."

"You think that I'm afraid of Laxus, do you? Huh? Well, I'm not. And if he's going to treat both you and Mirajane so poorly, then he has to pay the consequences."

"He wasn't really hitting on me. At least I don't think. Your sister though-"

"Mira would never want me to not marry you. There'd be no reason for her to feel that way."

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe because she's a psycho-"

"Ever-"

"Look, all I know is that Laxus came here, said Mira wanted us to postpone or call off our engagement. Or wedding. Whatever. And maybe, in my mind, I misread the signals and thought that he was coming onto me. But he wasn't. He didn't even stay long. Just long enough to deliver a message. From your sister."

"Well, I don't believe that."

"Right. You'd rather believe that Laxus, a guy I've known forever, just decides after he has a kid, a fiancée, and is finally happy, to come onto me while I'm pregnant and about to marry the father of my child. What sense does that make?"

"I don't know. He finally realized his mistake in passing you up!"

While that idea did appeal to Ever, she still shook her head.

"No. No way."

"Fine. Believe you want. But tomorrow, I'm going to deal with Laxus."

"And I'll deal with Mira."

"Fine."

"Fine."

 


	5. Chapter 5

  


"Wain."

"Rain, sweetie," Mirajane corrected as she and Nate walked down the road, headed towards the guildhall. They both had their coats on and she had an umbrella, so they weren't getting wet, not at all, which Mira was thankful for.

Nathan, not so much.

"Drip, drip, drip," he giggled as he walked along, one hand clasped in Mirajane's. "Drip, drip, drip."

"You sounds like Juvia, you know that?"

"Drip."

He'd woken up early that morning, Nathan did, bored and wanting some attention. He was shocked to find that Laxus wasn't in bed when he went into the man's room. Which was great! He just clambered up there, into Daddy's spot, to snuggle with Mirajane. This woke her up, but she only sighed and snuggled him closer.

They laid like that for a good twenty minutes before Mirajane got up to get ready for work.

"I go," Nathan told her when she moved on to getting him ready for the day as well.

"Are you sure, Nate? I'm going to be up there a real long time."

"Go see G'amps."

"Okay," she giggled. "But I can't promise that he'll be there."

Nathan found Laxus on the couch at one point, him apparently having been sentenced out there to sleep. Ha ha. Sucker.

But the man only ignored Nathan when he tried to wake him up and Mirajane said that he had been bad and didn't deserve to play with the little boy anyhow. Which was fine by Nathan! He didn't need Daddy. Not when he had Mira.

And his dog. But he had to stay at home with Laxus, which sucked. Mirajane called out a warning too, when they were leaving, to the sleeping man, that if he was mean to her dog again, she'd be twice as mean back to him.

"Daddy. Rawr."

"I'll show him a roar if he hits my dog again."

Nathan liked going to work with Mirajane. She was awesome.

When they got there though, no one else was around. She only helped him take off his little backpack full of toys as she laid down some ground rules.

If there was one thing that Nate could do without, it was that. The woman had rules for everything.

_Everything._

Like for running. Who had rules for running? Mirajane. Nathan wasn't allowed to run away from her when they were at the market. And he wasn't allowed to run with scissors. And running in the house when she said no? Forget about it.

Or, ooh, she also had rules for playing with the dog.

"Nathan," she said whenever he, maybe, just maybe, petted the doggy a tad too roughly. "You don't hit the dog. You know that."

Bah!

But she was still Mirajane, So as she sat him down on the floor and helped him take out some of his little toy cars, he nodded along to her regulations for playing in the guildhall.

"No one's here right now," Mirajane began, just like always. "So you can roll your cars anywhere. But when the guild opens, I want you to come play behind the bar. Or, when Lisanna or Elf shows up, you can go sit with them. And no getting under my feet. Or anyone else's. Mira's working, okay? That means I can't play with you. You have to be a big boy. Can you do that for me? Can you be a big boy for Mira?"

"Yes," he said, nodding his head. Gah! Anything to get her to stop talking. "Mommy."

"Awe." And then she kissed and snuggled him before rushing off to hurry along her pre-opening preparations.

Yeah, Mirajane was pretty cool. Did Nathan mention that he loved her yet? 'cause he did. She was his number one!

He also really liked Gramps. He was alright too. He liked to let Nathan ride up on his shoulders, which was pretty much the best thing ever. Especially when Elf did it!

Ah. He wanted to see Elf that day too. And Bickslow so that he could play with his dolls. Ooh, and Evergreen. He liked to try and wipe his boogers on her. It would make her yell and scream and it was just so much fun!

Oh. Then there was Lisanna. Bah! He didn't like her.

He loved her.

But he didn't like her.

So there.

You couldn't forget about Natsu and Lucy too. And their kitty! He wasn't as great as Nate's doggy, but that was neither here nor there. And the other kitties were pretty nice too. And he liked Levy. And Laki. And Max. And…and…

He liked everyone.

Just not as much as Mirajane!

So when others started showing up, Nate had no problem with Mirajane making him pick up his toys and take them behind the bar until, as she put it, one of his aunts or uncles showed up.

He felt so loved.

The busier she got though, the more Mira seemed to forget about him. But that was okay. Because eventually Evergreen arrived, rescuing him from his behind the bar prison.

Or at least he had hoped. He really had some good boogers up there he'd been saving for her.

Alas, she wasn't concerned with him as all. Nope. She wanted one person and one person only.

"Mirajane," she hissed as she approached the bar.

"Hi, Ever," Mira greeted, hardly glancing up. She was busy trying to get a tray of beers out to one of the tables. "Take a seat. I'll be with you in-"

"No. Now."

"Well, what do you want?"

Nathan didn't read tones too good yet. Especially considering that Ever's always sounded pissed off. So he only ran right around the bar and headed over to the woman, holding his arms up.

She didn't even look down at him though. Only kept glaring at his mother. Which, for the record, is not okay!

Not on Nate's watch!

But, ooh. Mirajane hadn't noticed his escape. Which meant he was free!

Besides, Laxus always called her a demon. Mira could hold her own. And with that in mind, Nate sat off on an adventure of his own. He'd seen one of the cats fluttering around before, the white one to be precise, and wanted to go play with it. With or without its permission!

"What do I want?" Ever repeated, oblivious to the child who was walking passed her then and over to where Wendy was with Carla. "I want you to stay the hell out of my relationship."

"Why, Ever," Mira sighed as she only went back to filling up the mugs with beer. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Uh, Mira?" Kinana appeared at her side. "Did you want me to take the beers to-"

"No. I can." Lifting the tray then, Mirajane said, "I'm working, Evergreen. So maybe you can come back and have this conversation later. I-"

"Oh, put off the conversation about how you're a major bitch for trying to get Laxus to put a halt on my wedding?"

When Mira sat the tray right back down to glare at the other woman, Kinana just picked it up and scurried off. The woman of stone and the she-devil were not two people she'd like to get between in an argument. Not at all.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"You better hope that I didn't hear you. When Laxus finds out that you-"

"Stop trying to use him against me!"

"Then stop being so weak that I can use it against you!"

More glares. Ever thought about removing her glasses and turning that pretty little demon into a statue, but had a feeling that wouldn't go over well with Elfman or Laxus. Or anyone for that matter.

"Elfman and I are going to have our wedding whenever we want to have our wedding," Evergreen told her then. "And whatever stupid reason you felt would nullify our feelings, won't."

"Considering a few weeks ago, you didn't even want to get married, much less have a child, I'd say that your feelings are pretty open to manipulation."

That time, Ever only raised her head slightly, looking off as she took to crossing her arms. "If you thought, Mirajane, that having Laxus over me, gave you some sort of advantage in this, you just wait. Because I have your brother."

"You do not. I do. He does what I-"

"You just wait."

Kinana waited until Evergreen took off before going back behind the bar. Mirajane was still there, glaring at the guildhall doors, so she was a tad nervous about speaking to her, but curiosity was killing her.

"What was that about?" she asked her. "I mean, I didn't know you and Ever were, like, fighting over something. Or were at war."

She even threw down a nervous giggle at the end, just to keep Mira from biting her head off.

But when Mirajane looked at her, she didn't even seem upset. She only smiled at the other woman, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kinana."

"R-Right. Sure."

"And, oh, have you seen Nate?" Mirajane just noticed then that he was missing, his little toys still right in their place on the floor.

"No, I-"

"Carla," Mirajane heard Wendy giggle across the guildhall then. "He just wants to play with you."

"Well I don't want to play with him!"

"Kitty!"

Glancing over, Mira found the boy chasing a very resistant Exceed around, his arms outstretched, as if to hug her. And with a sigh, she went to go deal with it, the things that Ever said still fresh on her mind.

They weren't a war. Not at all.

_But_  if they were, for the record, Mirajane very much so would have Elfman on her side. And Laxus. And if Ever thought otherwise, then she was just crazy.

* * *

"Don't look at me like that."

The dog only sat there though, at the side of the couch, staring at Laxus.

"Come on, dog," he grumbled. "I'm tryin' to sleep here. Can't you hold it a little bit longer?"

The mutt on whined though, staring pitifully at Laxus. Mira had forgotten to take him out before she left and, well, if he waited much longer he might just explode.

Or go pee on some of Laxus' clothes. Probably that one.

Sounded like a plan.

"Well, shit," Laxus growled as he finally pushed up off the couch. "I bet the demon did this on purpose. Let me put on some damn clothes and shoes. Then we can go."

After he did that, Laxus had to go and find the dog's stupid collar and leash.

"I know, boy, that you hate this as much as me," he said as the dog resisted when Laxus tried to put it on him. "But Mira's mandated it. And you know what she says go. You've been following her around a lot longer than me, I'd assume."

Once that debacle was all settled (Laxus had to speak to the dog's voice of reason, leash means he got to pee, no leash meant he didn't), they were ready to head out. Except when Laxus opened the door, something unexpected happened.

Someone knocked on his head.

It was stupid Elfman, standing there, fist poised to knock, apparently doing so at the exact moment Laxus flung the door open.

"Elf _boy_!"

"Oh! You were opening that-"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Elfman, who had been shocked a moment ago by the door opening, was right back in attack mode. He was there to fight for his woman's honor after all!

"You," he growled, taking to shoving Laxus right back into that apartment. Which, unfortunately for Mirajane's dog, meant trapping the canine as well.

"The hell you think you are?" Laxus, as always, was bucked up from the get go. He had the quality about him. "Elfboy?"

"I think I'm a man is who I think I am," he grumbled, closing the door behind him with a bang. "And I also think I'm about to teach you exactly what that means!"

Dropping the dog's leash, Laxus said, "Make my day, you damn coward. Think you're going to come in here, in my damn house, and make me look like a fool?"

"I didn't come here for you! I came to speak with Mirajane. But since she ain't around, I might as well-"

"I'mma about to make you wish that she was here!"

Elfman wasn't backing down. No way!

"This is all your fault anyways," Elfman said.

"What is?" Laxus figured that if he was going to kill the guy, he'd at least need an excuse to give to Mirajane when she started asking question. 'cause boy, if there was anything the demon could do, it was ask some dang questions.

"This!" Elfman held up his arms. "You're the one that's made me come here."

"Sorry, Elfboy, but there's no way that I'd ever be involved in anything that brought your ugly mug to my place."

"You hit on Evergreen! Tried to take her obsession with you and use it to your advantage. That is more than enough reason for me to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're gonna need to, oh, I dunno,  _never say that again_. Ever. Because that's disgust and- Bleh. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little."

"You-"

"Serious. Gross. The thought of, like, any woman that's come near you makes me wanna barf. Her morals must be, like, so low. And I fuck a lotta women, but the thought of putting my junk anywhere near where yours has been- Oh, no, I'mma vomit again."

Elfman only growled. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Seriously, Elfboy, I wasn't hitting on your damn woman." Then, just because he was him, he added in, "And if I was, the way you would have found out was because you'd have come home to her being far more satisfied than you could ever make her-"

More growling. Then Laxus only shrugged.

"But that wasn't my main objective. At all. Ever had her shot. She blew it. Me and the demon keep a very healthy sex life that needs no others involved. Would you like me to detail it for you?"

Elfman spat out a no, but Laxus ignored it.

"I mean, gee, just this week we've-"

There was a knock on the actual door that time, distracting both Laxus and Elfman, though the latter was more just happy for the interruption.

"Laxus?" they heard on the other side of the door. "I know you hate when I barge in, but this is important. The door's unlocked, huh?"

And then Evergreen was walking in, worry etched on her face. At the sight of her boy- err, fiancé, and idol in the midst of a battle (loose word for it, but being a man, Elfman would consider it no less), the look increased.

"What are you two doing?" she asked as Elfman turned to look at her.

"I'm teaching him how to be a man!"

"I was about to detail me and Mirajane's extensive sex life. Sit." Laxus gave her a glare. "Maybe after you hear it, you'll get why I have absolutely no room for you in it."

She was blushing then. "E-Elfman, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing! Well… It's not important!"

"What are you doing here, Ever?" Laxus asked her. "Huh? What-"

"To get to you before your stupid girlfriend!"

"Fiancée, but I accept either term, really."

"It's not funny, Laxus. I went up to the bar to talk to her and she- You can't marry her!"

Snort. Then Laxus looked off. "I can do whatever the hell I want."

"I don't like her, Laxus, and-"

"Well, hey now," Elfman complained, dropping his arms. "I'm all for this wedding not happening, but Ever, Mirajane is my-"

"She's horrible. And I don't want either of you to have anything to do with her."

Laxus blinked as Elfman only frowned.

"Well, this was a nice talk." Laxus pointed to the door. "Now both of you get the fuck out."

"Laxus-"

"What, Ever? Huh? I mean, what do you want me to say? I'm in fucking love with the stupid demon. I'm in the middle of trying to make a life with her. It's kinda late for you to hate her, don't you think?"

"Well…if it's any consolation, Freed doesn't like her either."

"That's because Freed wants to be with me!"

"Laxus," Ever hissed though she only looked off. It was one of those unspoken things that you just weren't supposed to mention. "And anyhow, don't you think it'll be weird? If we're all with a Strauss sibling?"

"Then go bug Bickslow about the brat! Or reexamine your cruddy relationship. On second thought, do that anyways. Because, I mean, seriously, Ever, I don't want you, but please, get some self respect."

Elfman blinked. Then he frowned. "Hey! Are you talking about me?"

Evergreen only kept her eyes on Laxus. "But she's been really horrible to me. And haven't I shown you more loyalty than she has?"

"Ever, did you miss that part when you first came in and I said that we have a pretty extensive-"

"I don't want to hear about this again," Elfman yelled. "At all. Never again. So please, can we just drop it?"

Laxus crossed his arms. "You sure? You two bozos might learn a thing or two from us."

"Oh, gross." Elfman moved to walk around Evergreen. "You can stay here and argue with him if you want, but I can't take it."

"Wait, Elf. I want you both to hear it," Ever said, grabbing his arm as he tried to walk passed her. "About how horrible Mirajane is."

"Did she honestly make you feel this badly?" Elfman shook free of the woman. "Ever? Because while I don't agree with what you say about her-"

"That she's a monster and should be run out of town."

"-if she's really upsetting you this much while you're pregnant, than…I guess I'll go talk to her."

"Whatever," Laxus grumbled. "Both of you just get out of my apartment!"

It took some ushering, but eventually he got those two idiots to vacate the place. After they were gone, the place just seemed extremely quiet and, for a moment or two, he couldn't remember what he had been doing before.

"Oh yeah. Sleeping." Bypassing the couch then, Laxus headed to the bedroom. Mirajane might dictate his life when she was around, but when she wasn't, he was the king of the castle again.

Planning on going back to sleep, he kicked his shoes off upon entering the room before moving to walk over to the bed. Something stopped him though.

"The hell?" he grumbled when he felt something wet and squish beneath his feet. Glancing down, he saw that some of his clothes which, yeah, fine, Mira had told him to put in the hamper, were covered in…in…

"You stupid dog!" he growled as the animal in question only stayed up on the bed, staring at his owner's fiancé.

He had to ask to go out, after all. So it was basically all Laxus fault.

And the worst part was Laxus knew that Mira would see it that way too. Then again, when didn't she saw all the faults in the world as his problem?

* * *

It rained all day! Nathan didn't get to go outside and play once. Which was horrible. He had to sit up and the guildhall and do boring things, like not chasing the kitties and sit in people's laps.

He wanted to run! And jump! And bother Laxus!

Where was the man anyhow, huh? It was kinda hard to have a great day when your best bud wasn't around.

So when Elfman arrived at one point, Nate thought it was to come rescues him. And, leaving Asuka behind, he marked right over to the man, who was going over to the bar.

"Elf!" Nathan called, holding up his hands. "Wide!"

That was actually supposed to come out as ride. Nathan got his words mixed up some times, fine, sue him.

"Now!"

But Elfman wasn't paying attention to him. He was as bad as Evergreen! Instead, his attention was on Mirajane, waiting for her to finish wiping down the bar before he spoke.

Bleh. Nathan didn't like for other people to pay attention to Mirajane. He would admit, she was awesome. She deserved the attention. But only from him! No one else! And sometimes his doggy. And Laxus was allowed to give her kisses because that made her happy. But nobody else!

Apparently, Elfman wasn't versed in Nathan's rules (wules) as he took that moment to begin speaking.

"Mirajane," he said, his tone giving off his annoyance. She only glanced up at him though, as if in greeting.

"Hi, Elfman. I-"

"What did you do to Evergreen?"

Mira, who had been smiling, faltered some then. And Kinana, who was behind the bar as well, decided then was a good time to go down to the game room downstairs to make sure that no one needed refills.

"What?" Mira's smile fell as she cocked her head to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about, Elf. I-"

"Mirajane-"

"Stop saying my name. That's not-"

"Evergreen is going to be my wife and the mother of my children. You're not to be causing her stress or anything like that. Especially over something so silly."

"I-" Mira bit her tongue, thinking. Then she said, "Laxus and I were getting married first. Which means that we get to have our wedding first. It means more to us. You guys are just doing this because you feel like you have to, because of the baby. Which is nice, fine, but-"

"I'm doing this because I love Evergreen and I want to have a life with her. And that's not going to be on your game plan, Mirajane. She told me about how you-"

"How I what? Huh? Everyone always wants to focus on the one moment in their life when I was a tad rude to them. What about all the good times? I-"

"Mirajane-"

" _Stop saying my name!_ "

Elfman rarely stood up to Mirajane. Usually, he'd just go along with whatever she or Lisanna wanted. It was the two of them that were more likely to buttheads than he was with either of them. He figured it was because they were both women or something and he was just the easygoing brother.

But he was about to have a new woman in his life. He had  _had_  a new woman in his life. And they'd either learn to give a little or have to be taken down a few pegs.

"Ever wants the wedding as soon as possible, so that's when we're having it, Mira," Elfman said with a shake of his head. He sounded cold on the outside, but on the inside he was shaking. He was a man, of course, but Mira? Mira was  _the_  man.

Nathan would have to concur. You know, if either of them would pay him an ounce of attention! He had been holding his arms up for Elfman to pick him up for ages! What could possibly be more important than carrying him around? Huh?

Huh?

"With," Elfman added, as he turned. The second he was away from her, his eyes started to tear up some. Gah! It was so hard to be a man sometimes. "Or without you."

"Elfman," Mirajane complained, but he was making a point and couldn't turn around. Couldn't let her see him tear up. Then she'd know that it would only take a few more prods and she'd have him back on her side.

No more! He was going to be with Ever now. And that meant…that meant that it was an end of an era. Of a lifetime. His life as being Mira and Lisanna's brother was coming to, not a close, but a new refinement. On top of it would now be placed Ever's husband as well as someone's father.

It was just the way that it had to be.

As he rushed from the guildhall, he almost ran into Lisanna and Bickslow. They called out to him as he passed, but he was running off then.

"What's his problem?" Bickslow complained.

"His problem?" the babies asked Lisanna.

"I dunno. We'll tell him later, huh?" She was hand-in-hand with the man and only drug him into the building. "Then we get a chance to do it twice, right?"

"Three times. I wanna go tell Freed later too. It'll be a hoot!"

"A hoot!" the babies cried as they giggled. "A hoot!"

Bleck.

Nathan stuck his tongue out the second he saw Lisanna approaching. And unlike the others, she actually looked down at him. He didn't reach out for her to pick him up though and she made no motion to. She only stuck her tongue out right back.

Bleck.

The little boy scurried off then, giggling, as Bickslow's dolls only gave chase after the boy. Bickslow's tongue fell out of his mouth and Lisanna grinned.

The time was now.

The best prank ever!

They'd need to keep straight faces.

"Hi, Mira," Lisanna called as she approached the bar. Her sister was still behind it, gaze dark. But her baby sister didn't see that. Only could picture the best plan ever going into action.

The demon hardly glanced up. "Hi. I-"

"Guess what?" Lisanna held out her hand then, showing off the ring Bickslow had snagged for her.

Hardly any jewels at all. The diamond was fake!

"Don't know why people ever buy real ones," he'd told his girlfriend who only nodded.

But it looked real enough for what they were going to do. And when Lisanna flashed it at her sister, Mira's eyes clouded over even more.

"We're getting married!"

"What?" left Mira's mouth, but it sounded as if it were coming out of someone with a much deeper cadence.

"Yep." Bickslow tossed an arm around Lisanna. "The way we see it, you guys all getting all chummy and married and what not, why can't we?"

"You've been dating all of what? A couple months?"

"And?" Lisanna giggled. "We're, like, totally in love. Completely."

"Utterly," Bickslow agreed. "This is, like, the real deal right here, Mirajane. I-"

"This is stupid." Mirajane had no joy or joke in her tone as she played. And Cana, who was over at the bar, drinking from a barrel, only shook her head. They were about to get it. "And you're stupid, Lisanna, if you think that I'm going to let you go through with this."

"I-"

"No, scratch that. You're stupid either way, just for wanting to do it. I mean, gosh, Lisanna, for someone who almost lost their life once, you'd think that you'd learn from your mistakes. But nope! You just keep making bigger and bigger ones. This has to be the most asinine thing I've ever heard. What? Elfman and I aren't giving you enough attention, so you have to go out and do something to drag it back to you? Well, guess what, Lisanna? It's time to grow up. We're not here to baby you anymore. This isn't going to reflect poorly on us. It's going to on you. Just like every other stupid thing you've ever- Lisanna!"

She only turned then, the game not so much fun any longer, shoving Bickslow off as she ran right out of the guildhall. Mirajane didn't go after her though. Only shook her head. She hadn't meant to say all that, but hey. It was all true. She was tired of always having to play nice with all of them Lisanna was-

"Why the hell did you just do that?"

Mira's attention was taken back to the man in front of her then. Bickslow. His visor was down, but she could feel his gaze.

"This is none of your business," she told him. "This is a family thing. You-"

"Lissy was all pumped to come in here and do this and you did that? You should be ashamed of yourself, Mirajane. She looks fucking up to you and you-"

"You have no business talking to me like that. You're not-"

"I'm Lisanna's boyfriend," he said simply before shaking his head. "It was a fucking joke before, but now? Now I'mma marry her. Just to spite you."

"What are you-"

"And our wedding is gonna be way better than yours. Just to knock you off your pedestal. You're not that great, Mirajane. And next time you make Lisanna upset over something stupid, I'm going to teach you not to piss off the Thunder Legion. Now come on, babies!"

They didn't wanna leave Nathan though. But, if Papa was making them…

"Two fights in one day, Mirajane? Wow," Cana commented after it was just them up at the bar. Mira could feel though, the eyes of others around them. She had been rather bad that day. She usually held her tongue better. "And you're sober! Amazing."

But it wasn't amazing. And, even though Nate thought she was, Mirajane didn't feel so awesome.

And that night, when she got home to find Laxus yelling about the dog and pee or something silly like that, she only sat Nate on the ground before rushing to go hug him.

"Mira," Laxus complained as Nate, not one to be left out, toddled right across the living room floor over to where his father, moments before, had been arguing with the dog, to throw his arms around the man.

Family hug.

Nate loved his family.

Well, he loved Mira. And Laxus was his best bud! So there was that.

"Why do they always pick on me?" Mirajane complained as Laxus moved to hug her back. He didn't know what she was so upset about, but if he could use it to keep her from realizing that he and the dog had gotten into a disagreement, he would.

"Who?"

So that started at least an hour rehash of all the day's events, in which time Nate got fed his dinner and given a bath. Once he was safely off in his bed, the devil dog sealed up in the room with him, Laxus and Mirajane found themselves alone in the living room, where she was still going on about her siblings.

Oh, and something about Bickslow and Evergreen.

Sigh.

"Mirajane," he told her eventually, his own stomach growling. They'd fed the kid, but he still needed his dinner. He had to hurry this along. "If you want, I'll talk to both Ever and Bickslow. For real this time. And I'll make it very clear that you come first to me. Always. And if they're going to start fights with you, then I… You're my demon. And that trumps them. Every time."

She used to be able to say the same things to her siblings, but recently…

Was that what it was then? To really grow up? And all get married and drift apart?

Mirajane sure hoped not, because she wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

 


	6. Chapter 6

  


"But Bickslow," Lisanna sighed as she sat there in his lap, him seated on the bed with his back against the wall. Keeping her head bowed, resting it against his shoulder, she said, "I don't wanna marry you."

"You don't?"

"No."

"Oh." He blinked. "I thought, you know, that this was all just some elaborate way for you to get me to-"

"No," she said, face heating up just at the thought. Lifting her head slightly, she stared into his eyes. "Now that you've told that to Mirajane though-"

"I'm sorry, kid," he said with a sigh. "I only thought that it was what you wanted. Stupid me, huh?"

"Mmmm. Now if when I don't going to go through with it she's going to think that she, like, go through tome or something stupid like that. And I would hate that."

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, Lissy, but you are wrong. Err, you're playing an angle in which you are," he said. "You just said it yourself, you don't wanna marry me."

"I really don't."

"And thank the heavens that you don't," he said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, this is great, but I don't wanna get married. I'm too young."

"You are so old."

"Lissy."

"Well."

"I'm not old."

"Mmmm. If I was as old as you," she began, lifting her head as she moved to grab his face in her hands. "I would be glad that someone as amazing as me is even interested in an old man like you."

He grinned as she let go of his face, only to kiss his head. "I don't ever wanna get married."

"As old as you are, I doubt you'll be getting very many petitioning you for it."

"Ha ha. I got what? Five years on you?"

"Sometimes a small amount means a lot."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you're old."

"Mmmm. You ever think that, kid, you're actually old to someone that's five years younger than you?"

"Even if I am, that just means that you're super old."

"This is what I get, huh? My punishment for going younger?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Damn."

"You reap what you sow."

"Wow." He shook his head. "You're, like, so poetic, Lissy. You got some of the best literary-"

"Bickslow."

"What? I'm serious."

"I didn't make that up, dummy."

"What?"

"That's, like, an idiom."

"You're an idiot!"

"No, I mean… You know what? Never mind."

"Hmmm." Bickslow had moved to slip his hand under the back of Lisanna's shirt, resting it against her flesh. It was cool and made Lisanna shiver. "You know what, kid?"

"What?"

"I just had the perfect idea."

"All ears."

"Instead of getting married or going through the sham or whatever," he said. "We should just say we got married. That we, you know, cantalouped."

"Uh, I think you mean eloped."

"Sure."

"So what? We run off for a few days-"

"Like we were wanting to anyways."

"-and come back and tell her that we got married in secret?"

"Uh-huh. Stress her out some. As pay back. She's been really rude to you recently and I ain't cool with it. At all."

"You're so cute when you try and make me feel better."

"Well, I like you, kid," he said. "And she wasn't being nice. That ain't cool."

"So you were willing to marry me just to prove that you're willing to stick up for me?"

"I was kinda hoping that we came up with a better solution before it came to that, but you know what? I'dda bit the bullet for ya."

"You really shouldn't phrase it like that, but still, you're so sweet."

He only smiled at her. Then, with one hand, he reached up to scratch at his Mohawk. "So…once we get fake married…do we get to really constipate it or-"

"Okay, two things. And the first one is, either I need to buy you a dictionary or you need to stop joking. And number two, I thought we went over this."

"We did, kid," he insisted, but he could tell just by the way she slipped out of his hold and moved to get out of his lap that he'd ruined the moment. "But you have to get why I might-"

"And I told you the deal from the beginning, Bickslow. I just-"

"Never mind. Just drop it."

"No, Bickslow. You always do this," she complained. "You bring it up, get me upset, and then you back off, acting like I'm such a bitch for-"

"I have never said that. It's my fault, alright?" He slumped back against the bed. "Getting involved with you or whatever. I knew that you were…"

"That I was what?"

"Lisanna-"

"What?"

Groaning, he said, "I knew that you were still…a virgin or whatever and that this was something to you. But it's not to me. Sex. It's just something that, you know, you do. Especially when you're in a relationship."

"Then maybe we shouldn't be in a relationship."

"Lisanna," he complained. "Is that any way to talk to your fake husband?"

"We're not fake married yet, so I can say whatever I want to you."

"Bah! I'll fake call this fake marriage off."

"But wouldn't that mean that you didn't really call it off?"

"At this point, Lisanna, I'm so confused by it all that I really can't give you a straight answer."

She only let out a slow breath. "This has been such a long day."

"Mmmhmm."

"You need to let the babies come in here," she told him. "If we're…I mean, I'm spending the night, right?"

"Are you?"

"Can I?"

"Well, we are soon to be fake married," he said. "So I really don't see this as too indecent." He didn't push up to get out fo the bed though. 'You can go get 'em if you want. I think they're probably all already dormant though. But if it'll make you- You know, you could wait until I finish my sentence before leaving. Rude."

Lisanna had only crawled out of bed and headed for the door. "You should know by now, Bickslow, that I'm only dating you for your children."

"Oh is the woe of many of us single fathers."

"Stop pretending like-"

"I can pretend whatever I want, Ms. Fake Marriage!"

But he would have to admit, when she came back into the room a minute later, cradling five little wooden bodies in her arms, that there was probably no one else that he would want to be with that night.

"They're sleeping."

"I see," he said as she came to lay them down on the bed. "They'll be so happy, you know, when they wake up and you're still here. They really like you."

"Well, I am their fake stepmother."

"And a wicked one at that."

"Bickslow."

"I'm so tired, kid."

"Then go to sleep." She was crawling back into bed with him then. "We do have a grand fake eloping to plan."

* * *

"You, like, must really have it bad for my boyfriend or something."

Laxus gave Lisanna a snarl. "Yeah, well, we ain't just here for him, brat, so go take a seat."

She had been woken up to the sound of knocking at the front door. Bickslow was in the shower and, fearing it was something important, she'd rushed off to answer.

It was only Laxus and the other bodyguards though.

Yuck.

Except for Freed. She had no reason to dislike Freed.

Yet.

"You can't tell me what to do."

"You wanna bet? Now," Laxus began as he shoved passed her and into the apartment, Ever following at a much less brisk pace.

"He's on a warpath," she mumbled to Lisanna who only frowned before letting Freed in.

"Where's Bickslow?" Laxus asked.

"In the bathroom." Closing the door, Lisanna said, "He was in the shower, but it sounds like he's finished. He-"

"Boss!" Suddenly, Bickslow's dolls came rushing from the bedroom to circle around Laxus. He only growled.

"Bickslow," he called out. "You have ten seconds to get out here."

"Oh, hell, Bickslow," Ever complained as he tossed open the bathroom door. Lisanna didn't look, but she was pretty sure he was nude. "Seriously?"

"I'm here, boss. Just getting all fresh and spunky for the day."

Laxus growled again. "Well, hurry up! And Ever, come sit on the couch. You too, Lisanna. The only one here that hasn't done nothing is Freed."

The green haired man seemed to about burst from joy at that statement, but it only made Evergreen roll her eyes.

"What did we even do?" Lisanna was being just downright defiant then, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Laxus. "Because-"

'You idiots are ruining my life is what you're doing."

"Never," Evergreen told him. "Honest, Laxus, I would never-"

"Be quiet," he said. "All of you."

Lisanna snorted, but the other three were dead silence. Even Bickslow, who had taken to throwing a towel around his waist as he gelled his Mohawk in the bathroom.

"Now," he began again. "I'm here because I can't go a fucking day anymore without hearing about this damn wedding and how you knuckleheads are ruining it for Mirajane. Which, by the way, isn't cool. At all."

"Yeah right. Mira's the one that-"

"the one that what, Lisanna?" He turned his gaze on her. "Loves you? Takes care of you? Paid off that damn house you and Elfman are living in? That what?"

"That's not… Just because you do a lot of nice things, it doesn't mean that people can't get mad when you do something wrong."

"Oh, one small, wrong trait about her where she wants her wedding to be special and you can't let her have it? Seriously?"

"W-Well-"

"You're forgetting though, boss," Bickslow braved from the bathroom. "That she makes us all feel really bad recently with her constant wedding planning. Actin' all hoity-toity like, yeah? Like, ooh, I'm Mirajane, and because I'm marry the most amazing man ever and I'm hot that means that I can just boss my troll of a sister around. It's not fair!"

They all blinked, but it was Lisanna who spoke.

"Did you just call me a troll?"

"Lisanna," Bickslow called to her. "I think you're missing the point."

"No," she said slowly. "You're the definitely the one missing the point here."

"As Laxus' best man, I command you all to start behaving," Freed said with his authoritative tone.

"No one ever said that you were definitely the best man," Bickslow complained, sticking his head out of the bathroom doorway, just to glare at his best friend. "Seriously, Freed, you-"

"The way you've been acting recently?" Laxus snorted. "You're lucky if you're even invited to the wedding."

"Wh-What?" Bickslow frowned. "But boss-"

"Like we want to go to your wedding," Lisanna said, just as disrespectful as ever. The entire Thunder Legion was glaring at her then.

Did she not know who she was talking to?

Then again, it was Lisanna. She always seemed to have a death wish.

"Oh yeah?" Laxus bucked up then. "Fine! You're uninvited!"

"Great! I never wanted to be invited!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Now wait a second, Lissy," Bickslow spoke up. "I-"

"You agree with her, Bickslow? Huh?" Laxus was glaring at him then as Ever only sat there, thanking all she knew that Lisanna was such an idiot. It was like she'd just been granted a free pass. Laxus was so focused on Lisanna, that he'd forgotten that Evergreen was just as big of an offender.

Thank the heavens. She just couldn't go on in life with Laxus upset with her.

"N-No! Of course not, boss. I wanna be at your wedding. I want to be at everything you're at forever! Seriously, I-"

"Bickslow." Lisanna was glaring at him too then. "You're on my side in this, remember?"

"Well, Lissy, I-"

"Are you or are you not my boyfriend?"

"I am! Really. But the boss here, see-"

"Let's see, Lisanna," Laxus started then, a winning grin finding its way back on his face. "I beat you out for your sister's love and your boyfriend's. That basically makes you, what? Unlovable?"

"Boss," Bickslow complained.

"I fucking hate you." Lisanna looked Laxus dead in the eye then and Freed just wasn't going to stand for that.

"You cannot speak to him that way," he started up. "You-"

"You're all idiots. Especially you, Bickslow. Laxus is a jerk and you've all fallen for it." Lisanna wanted to have a big storm out moment, but she'd left her shoes in Bickslow's bedroom and had to go in there to get them. "If you love him so much, Bickslow, take him. Save Mira the trouble. Please."

"Lisanna," he complained as she only crossed the living room and headed into his bedroom all of his babies following, the lock slipping into place behind them.

"Well," Ever said slowly after a moment of silence or so. "If we have to put it to a vote, she's probably my least favorite of all your girlfriends, Bickslow. And that's saying something, considering she's my boyfriend's sister."

Laxus sneered then. "He's your boyfriend now, is he, Ever?"

"W-Well-"

"Thanks a lot, guys." Bickslow came full out of the bathroom then, glaring mostly at Laxus. "I mean, seriously? Now you have her all mad at me and stuff. And for what? Because she made your girlfriend upset, Laxus? Huh? Well, your girlfriend made my girlfriend upset. But you know what I didn't do? Ruin your relationship over it! You keep dong this to me. Putting me in situations where I have to choose between you and her and that's not fair. You know what? I choose her. Fuck you guys."

Laxus blinked as Freed's jaw about dropped. Ever only got to her feet.

"You can't be serious."

'Yes," he said. "I am."

But he was shaking his head no. And then, taking a step closer to Laxus, he whispered, "Please just go along with this, huh? You know I love you, boss."

"Don't touch me," Laxus said loudly when Bickslow laid a hand on his arm.

"I'm going to touch you if I want! I'm going to shove you out of this apartment, in fact!"

"Wha-"

"Please, guys, just go," Bickslow whispered again, staring at them with sad eyes. "Please? Have I ever asked for anything?"

Laxus grunted. Then, he said, "Fine! And you're off the Thunder Legion!"

Ever glanced at him before rolling her eyes. "And I hate you, Bickslow. How dare you speak to us like this?"

Freed grinned at him. Then, for show, shouted, "I renounce you in the name of all that is holy!"

Bickslow followed them over to the door, prepared to slam it. Not before he whispered to them though, "Thanks guys. You rock. Especially you, boss."

Grunt. Then, "Just get your damn woman under control. I said she didn't have to go, but if she doesn't show up at this wedding, the demon'll blame me."

"Aye-aye, boss," he whispered. Then, he added, "Fuck you!" before slamming the door.

There. Now he made a big show and Lisanna would like him again and they could just go back to normal.

He quickly went to go pull on a pair of shorts from the bathroom or something because, well, the towel just wasn't cutting it, before heading over to the door.

"Lissy?" He knocked against it. "You hear that? I totally sent them all packing! You see? Because you just mean so much to me and-"

"Bickslow?"

"Hmmm?"

"You can't whisper for crap."

He dropped his hand. "Then you heard-"

"Every word of it."

"Oh." He blinked. Defeated then, he moved to sit down on the ground, back against the door, with a sigh. "Whispering ain't one of my strong suits."

On the other side of the door, Lisanna was sitting in the same position, back up against the door, as his babies rested either on her head or in her lap, all trying to comfort her.

"I just," she said after a minute of silence, at least. "I don't like Laxus. I thought that I did, I thought that I could, but-"

"Sometimes though, you gotta fake shit."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you don't see how awesome he is, and that's fine, but your sister is, like, in love with him. And I know that you're mad at her right now, trust me, I get that, but maybe… Maybe, just this once, it's your turn to be the bigger person."

"I-"

"She always has to be. In everything. And if she wants to act like an immature little brat just this once, maybe we should give it to her," he said. "Would that really be such a bad thing? Mirajane does do a lot for you. For all of us. And right now, she's all crazy or whatever about the wedding. So let's just back off. Let her have it. Who wants it? Not us."

Lisanna was quiet for a second before asking, "Does that mean that our fake eloping is off?"

"Oh, hell no," he was quick to say. "That's going to be, like, the best prank ever. We're still going through with that. It'll blow the fake engagement out of the water!"

She couldn't help it when she giggled then, letting the dolls know that she was feeling better. They thought it was all thanks to them and, honestly, she would have to admit, they had helped.

"Okay," she whispered. "But where are we gonna go? And for how long?"

"Hmmm. You don't need to take no jobs any time soon, do you?"

"I don't guess so. And with Elf and Ever being so weird right now, I doubt he'll wanna go anywhere anyhow."

"Then you wanna go campin' again?"

"We always go camping."

"Because we love it!"

"Fine," she groaned. "But we can't tell them that we're going camping."

"No way."

"Better yet, let's not tell any of them anything. Just disappear."

"You tried that once and-"

"And what? It didn't change anything. And this time, Mira will think it's because I'm pissed off at her. Then we can come back after a week or so saying that we're married and it'll throw them all off!"

He snickered. "We're, like, the smartest people to ever live, ain't we, kid?"

"Most definitely." Getting to her feet then and the babies taking to the air, Lisanna turned to unlock the door and let him in. Bickslow was quick to jump up, still grinning at her.

"We have the dumbest fights," she said as she moved to hug him. He only winked at his babies, who were making loud, happy noises then. "I'm, like, so stupid."

"Nah," he said. "And look! We already made up."

"Mmmm." Tilting her head up to stare at him, she asked, "Did you mean any of that though?"

"Any of what?"

"What you said to Laxus?"

He frowned slightly before saying, "I meant that bit about being tired of him trying to pin me between the two of you. It's not fair. I love Laxus, but you're…you. So, he needs to stop that. But other than that, nope! I just wanted to make you feel like you're the most important thing in my life."

"Mmmm."

"And you are, kid," he told her, grinning once more as his tongue fell from his mouth. "One of them, anyways. And ain't that enough?"

"Yeah," Lisanna sighed against his chest. "It is."

 


	7. Chapter 7

  


Nathan sure liked apples. Like, a whole lot! Especially the way that Mira made them. Err, rather, cut them up.

But Mira was at work that day.

"No," he told Evergreen, handing the piece of fruit back to her. "No."

"What do you mean no?" she complained. "You asked for an apple!"

"Apple," he told her, pointing at the one in her hand. "Apple."

"I just gave it to you. So why-"

"Apple!"

"Laxus!" Evergreen headed out of the kitchen then. "Your stupid son is-"

"Seriously, Ever?" Laxus was in the living room, speaking with Freed. "You seriously can't even get him fed? You're that incompetent when it comes to children? Seriously?"

"No," she hissed. "I am not. I just-"

"Sheesh. I'd hate to be your child," he complained. "If you can't even figure out what this one wants."

"I know what he wants," Evergreen complained. "But-"

"Laxus! Apple!" Nathan came running into the room, right over to his father. "Mira apple."

"See?" Ever had the apple in her hand still and went to hand it off to the boy once more. He only shook his head though.

"No!"

"What am I doing wrong?"

Laxus sighed. "You're supposed to cut it."

"Cut it?"

"Mirajane cuts it up. You know, into slices? Because he's a little kid? And put some peanut butter or something on there too." Laxus shook his head at his son. "Women."

Embarrassed then, and in front of Laxus no less, Ever rushed off to do so. Nathan, after sticking his tongue out at Laxus because, well, just because, took off after her.

"Apple," he said a minute later when she presented him with a plate, the fruit cut up in the usual style. "T'anks."

Ever only rolled her eyes before going back into the living room, that time to join Freed and Laxus on the couch.

"So you were saying?" Ever prompted. "About Bickslow?"

"Oh, yes." Freed nodded. "I went to his apartment, but it appears that he's taken off. I thought though that maybe he was staying with Lisanna, at Elfman's house, but when I arrived, Elfman tearfully informed me-"

"She went away from the week or something," Ever said with a roll of her eyes. "She didn't even leave a note. He's all torn up. She hasn't been home in days."

Laxus snorted. "Mirajane mentioned it to me that she hadn't seen her. I assumed that Lisanna was just being bratty."

"She does have that quality," Ever sighed as Freed, who was on the other side of Laxus, grinned at him.

"But that's okay! Who needs Bickslow, huh? Just the three of us, we'll-"

"My schedule's packed," Laxus said simply. "With wedding stuff. That's why I called this meeting."

"Packed?" Ever frowned, laying a hand on his arms. "Mira has you all bogged down? Well, me and Freed, we'll go in your stead!"

"You what?"

"Yes!" Freed laid a hand on him too which made Laxus frown. "We will go to all of the things that you would only suffer through. The two of us, we'd be far better at planning a wedding with Mirajane anyhow than you would be, I bet."

"Right!" Ever nodded her head. "Anything for you!"

"I-"

"Daddy!" Nate was back, coming over to Laxus, holding out his plate of apple slices to him. "Daddy!"

"You're giving me one? Than- Nate!"

"No." He held the plate away. "Sit."

"Speak in sentences."

"I sit in yo' lap? Daddy?"

Anything to get Ever and Freed off him…

"Come here, brat." Laxus reached down to pick him up, the boy giggling at this. "You eatin' your apples?"

"Mmmhmm. No Mira make. Ever no good."

"Nathan," Laxus complained as Ever sent him a glare. "Behave."

"I wan' Mommy."

"She's working."

Humph. He went to work eating his apple then. Was it so hard for stupid Laxus to just go to work? Huh? And let Mira never ever have to leave? Ever? And she and Nate and the dog could live forever together in the house with him sometimes stopping by? Huh?

"So how about it then, Laxus?" Freed was still so insistent. But then again, he was always insistent. "Would you like for us to-"

"Guys," he said slowly as Nathan spit a seed at the dog, who was laying at their feet. "Seriously, I think that Mirajane would rather I be the one there. You know? I mean, if it were an option, I would go through with it, but-"

"If I was marrying you, Laxus, I wouldn't make you plan a single thing," Evergreen told him.

"Same," Freed agreed.

"As flattering as that is," he said slowly. "I really don't think Mirajane would like it. And, you know, this is all about the demon."

"Yeah," Ever sighed, watching as Nathan spit another seed at the dog. "We all know."

"She's really great, Laxus," Freed was quick to say then. "And we all really like her. Honestly. Mirajane Strauss. Amazing."

"So amazing," Ever sighed.

"Oh," Freed went on as Laxus glanced at Ever, reading her tones easily. "My planning for your bachelor party has been going great."

"Really now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Where are you guys going?" Ever asked. "And are there going to…be women involved?"

"I-"

"Of course not," Freed sad, cutting Laxus off.

"Of course?" Laxus frowned. "I-"

"Why would there be?" the letter mage went on. "This isn't about women. This is about a group of male friends bonding."

Laxus blinked. "No, it's about women."

"Nonsense. Honestly, Laxus, do you not understand the concept?"

"I really think you don't, but considering Mira won't either, I think we're safe." Laxus sighed. "No part of my life is ever fun anymore anyways."

"Daddy." Nate spit a seed at him that time making Laxus growl.

"Okay, you're going down," he said, moving to pick the boy up and set him down on the floor once again. Nate only spit at him again before marching off with his snack.

"No offence, Laxus," Ever said slowly then. "Because I've tried to put up with it because I love you, of course, but-"

"Oh, if she's going to say it, then I am," Freed said quickly. "I'm not that fond of Mirajane."

"-your son is a brat."

Laxus blinked. Freed about passed out. Ever took to fanning herself.

"You what?" Laxus wasn't sure which one he was supposed to be angry at, but his tone incited them both.

"I love Mirajane," Freed was quick to add. "I-I… I think that she is wonderful. And if she was just marrying someone else. Even Bickslow, I'd… But you? Laxus, you are in your prime! Being tied down is not something that you ever seemed to want. And now she's trying to pin you down with yet another child-"

"He's just so…annoying," Ever said. "I mean, you guys really need to implement a harder punishment system. You don't want him to be a little butt to everyone else, do you? I mean, me, I'm practically family. So it's okay! But… He'll only get worse, the older he-"

"I cannot imagine you as a married man," Freed went on. "You're just so…full of life and love and… And that doesn't mean that you're in the wrong! Mira's wonderful. If you'd like, I'd take the blame for it all. I'll even marry her and keep her pure for you. Then, when you've finished, later on in your life, I will leave her and you can have her again!"

"…Okay, so I don't know what the hell he's going on about," Ever said then, pointing at her teammate. "But what I'm saying actually holds validity, so don't be mad at me!"

Laxus stood up then from the couch, just to get away from the two of them. "You're both annoying me."

"Please forgive me."

"I meant no offense, I only-"

"Shut up. Both of you." Laxus rolled his shoulders then. "The kid is a brat, Ever, but what do you want me to do? Every time I try to correct him, Mira tells me that I'm breaking his spirit or something silly like that. And Freed, if I ever even see you try to make a pass at Mirajane, I'll rip you to shreds."

"I assure you," he said then, bowing his head, "that it would have been a loveless union."

Ever rolled her eyes again. "If it makes you feel better, Freed, I'm not too big on Mirajane either, but here we are."

"Here I am," Laxus correct. "And here the two of you go. I'm not up for hanging out today or training. And the kid is here and, yeah, he probably shouldn't go out today, as punishment or whatever. If one of you see Bickslow before me though, hit him in the head for thinking it was a good idea to run off with the demon's sister again. That's all. Get out."

They both declared their love for him before departing, taking to arguing with one another the second they were gone, about who had been more out of line.

Laxus only shook his head before going after his son, to find out what he had been doing.

"Nathan," he called out, going to the little boy's bedroom. "We need to have a little chat, buddy."

"Daddy." He had finished with his apples and was happily playing with some of his toy cars. 'Hi."

"Hi."

"Go see Mira?"

"Nope." Coming over to him, Laxus went to sit down on the ground in front of the toddler. Nathan held out a car to him and, after a moment, Laxus took to pushing it around as well, just to keep him happy. "You know, Nate, sometimes I do really bad things."

"Yes." Duh. Laxus did bad things all the time. He was pretty much the baddest person Nathan knew! He burped and farted and would yell at Mirajane. All things that Nate wasn't supposed to do. And he hadn't even mentioned how often the man talked with his mouth full… Laxus was horrible.

But…he was also pretty cool, so it was okay.

"Sometimes I talk back to people and I'm really rude and stuff."

"Yes."

"But…but I shouldn't, you know?" He kept pushing the car around on the carpet. "And neither should you. It's not nice to be rude to people. Even people like Evergreen. And yeah, I know, sometimes she gets on your nerves and stuff. And that sucks. Like when she didn't know how to cut your apple."

"Mira apple. Mira make apple."

"Mira does cut up a mean apple," Laxus agreed. "But that doesn't mean that you can be rude to Evergreen because of that. The rest of us aren't Mirajane, Nate. I know that you hate that and I know that you love her. She's your mommy. She loves you so much. But the rest of us do too. So please,  _please_ , stop being so bad. Because you're getting old enough that I will start punishing you. For real. You think that those mini-timeouts that Mira puts you in now are something? Wait until later, when I start putting you in your room with nothing to play with. Either that or spank you. You wan that? Huh?"

"No."

"I know you don't. And I don't want to, but, buddy, I ain't raising some sort of punk here. You know? I'm not the best father, I know that, it's just not gonna happen, but I ain't putting up with shit from some little brat. No way. You don't gotta be a model citizen or nothing. You're gonna be a Fairy Tail wizard! I ain't expecting a lot from you. But you're not going to be disrespectful to the rest of us. Understand?"

"Yes."

"I'm serious."

"Yes, Daddy," he whined. "Laxus, play."

He went back to pushing around the toy car. "I just don't want you to be annoying to other people. They don't get it yet, you know? They don't have kids. So they see it as annoying that Mirajane and I can't just drop everything and go hangout or that I have to be home at a certain time or that she spends more time at the house because she has to be with you. It's just the way it is. We chose it. We kept you because we wanted this. We wanted you. We love you, Nate. So it's just the way that it is. You know?"

"I know."

"You know?"

Nate nodded. Anything to get Laxus to shut up and back to playing. "I know."

"I love you, buddy."

"Love you, Laxus," he giggled. "Daddy."

"You're my best buddy, huh?"

Best buds! He gave Laxus a thumbs up, making the man reach out to pat him on the head.

Best buds.

* * *

"I think I know where your sister is."

Mirajane sighed as she got into bed with Laxus. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Freed said that Bickslow's taken off so they're probably together."

"I honestly don't even care about that any more."

"Bull," he said, not opening his eyes as Mirajane took to snuggling against his back. "You know as well as I do that you'll never be done with Lisanna."

"You're right," she said. "I'm not done with Lisanna. And why would I want to be? But I am tired of her attitude and this whole thing. If she wants to go off, fine. Hopefully she'll come back like the real Lisanna, because the one that she's been recently just isn't cutting it for me. Bickslow has her head filled with, like, all these stupid ideas that we're all trying to hold her down or something. As if Elfman and I are the ones that are wrong. Yeah, right. So what? We try to keep her safe? And from making mistakes? We lost her. He's never lost her. He doesn't get it. He-"

"Calm down," Laxus sighed, rolling onto his back so that he could look at her. He could tell from how loud she had been when she came in that night that she was planning on waking him up. She was just being so loud. He wouldn't be shocked if even Nate woke up. "I get it, alright? She's your sister and-"

"You don't get it, Laxus, because you can't get it. You're an only child. You don't know what it's like to love someone and then be rejected by them. Someone that you would do anything for. And why? Because they're tired of you always helping them out? Of always being there for them? When that's what you're supposed to do anyway?"

He let her cuddle up to him. "It's alright, Mirajane. Just take a breath. Lisanna's a big girl. You gotta let her go, you know? Let her screw up. 'cause she will, trust me. And then she'll come back to you. That's just how it works." Pressing a kiss to her head, he added, "She loves you. And you love her more than you love me. More than Nate even."

"No," Mira sighed, resting against his chest, over the tattoo. Pressing a kiss to the tribal design, she said, "Not more than Nate."

Grinning then, he said, "He and I had a heart to heart of sorts today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Laxus told her, nodding his head slightly. "A real man to man conversation."

"About what?"

"How sometimes I might be bad, but I'm tryin', you know? And that he needs to start tryin' too. That I'm not going to let him act like a little brat for no good reason. I'm not raised an entitled kid, Mirajane."

She blinked. "And? How was that a conversation? I'm sure that went all over his head."

"No way. Me and Nate? We got a connection."

"A connection, huh?"

"Yeah," Laxus said, nodding his head. "He's, you know, from me."

"Ew, Laxus, gross."

"You know what I mean," he said. "He's my boy. And he looks up to me. So if I want him to act right, I gotta act right."

"You sure are self-aware today," Mirajane remarked, as if in shock. "Something happen?"

"Nothing much," he said. "Err, oh, well, Freed kinda said if I wanted, he'd marry you for me."

"What?"

He nodded. "You know, keep you safe and…pure as he put it, so that no other men sniffed around. Then when I was done fucking around some more, you guys would separate and I could have you."

She blinked. "I thought Freed was-"

"He assured me that the union would be just as uncomfortable for him as it would be you."

Mirajane stared up at him then. "I love you, you know."

"I know."

"But your bodyguards…"

"They say the same thing as you."

"You're just in such high demand," Mirajane sighed, closing her eyes. "Everyone wants a piece of you."

"I am pretty great."

"Mmmm."

"But so are you."

"I'm awesome."

"You are."

"If I wasn't so tired…"

He let out a slow breath. "It's okay, baby."

"I seriously am about to fall asleep," Mira mumbled, resting against his chest, "right now."

Smiling, he shut his eyes, stroking the back of her head gently. "Me too, demon."

And they did sleep for awhile. Until, around seven, Mira woke up, knowing that she had to get to work in an hour or so. And her alarm had woken him up, which put him immediately into one mindset.

"Laxus," Mira sighed, giving out her halfhearted protest as he held tightly to her, not letting her get of the bed. "I need to go shower."

"Can I come?"

"Laxus."

"I love you, demon."

"You're-"

Their door opened with a bang.

"Mira! Doggy pee-peed!"

Then they were joined in the bed and all those feelings were washed away.

"Laxus-"

"I don't wanna clean it up."

"Please?" Mira sighed as Nate took to snuggling against her tummy. "I have to get ready for work. And spend some time with Nate."

"Time with me," he agreed. "Snuggle."

"You want snuggles?" Mirajane held him close then. "I love you."

"Love you."

"No fair," Laxus grumbled, heading out of the room to deal wit the dog. "You sure didn't have time to snuggle with me."

He was already closing the door though, leaving his son and fiancée alone.

"He is right though, Nate. I have to go take a shower and get into work," Mira was telling the boy then as he only cuddled up close to her.

"Go work?"

"Uh-huh."

"I go? With you? Mommy?"

"No, sweetie," she giggled. "It's too early for you to go to work with me. You know that. Maybe Daddy will take you down there later. But right now, you need to go back to bed. It's too early for you to be up. Did the doggy wake you up?"

"No."

"No?"

"No." Nate shook his head. "Wanna come s'eep with you."

"Aw." She pressed a kiss to his head as Nate only took to giggling. "You are so sweet. I love you, baby."

"No baby. Big boy!" But he still patted her cheek. "Love Mira. Mommy."

Nuzzling against his head, she whispered, "I love you too. So much. You're my little baby, huh?"

"Big boy," he kept insisting. Still though, if Mira wanted him to be a baby then darn it, he would be one! "Big boy baby."

"Oh, Nate." More kisses. "When I get off work tonight, I'm gonna make you a real big dinner, okay? No matter how tired I am. And you're gonna get to help me make it. Okay?"

"Yes, yes."

"I-"

"I don't hear the shower, demon," Mirajane heard Laxus call from somewhere else. "Which means I totally could have had time to-"

"I'm going! And you're annoying me."

"Well."

"Well."

"Well!" Nate tapped Mira's nose. "Well!"

"Well." She pressed on last kiss to his head before letting him go.

"No, Mira-"

"I have got to go shower," she said. "Stay here and you can sleep in bed with Dadyd when he gets back, huh? I know he's a little smelly, but he really likes it when you cuddle with him."

Bleh. Laxus.

But with a sigh, Nate moved to rest on the pillows and wait. The man was better than nothing.

Kinda.

Eventually, the man returned with the dog, which Nate was pretty excited about. But he was starting to get sleepy again and only gave his dog a pat when it joined them on the bed before laying down again.

"Who told you that you could sleep in here? Huh?" Laxus headed back over to the bed. "And for the record, kid, I'm totally talkin' to you."

"Daddy."

"You're lucky you're starting to look like me. It makes it harder to stay angry at you."

The second that Laxus was back in the bed, Nate turned to cuddle against his side, just like Mirajane told him to. The man only frowned down at the boy before sighing.

"You know, kid, the wedding's coming up now. And Mira and I are gonna go away for a few days after it. Like a little vacation. A honeymoon. Without you. And… I know that you're a big boy-"

"Am," he agreed through a yawn.

Duh.

"-but I know how you can't stand being away from Mira for so long."

"Love Mommy."

"She loves you too," he said. "But…I mean, don't take this the wrong way, kid, but you're a tad obsessive. I get it. The demon? She's wonderful. Amazing. Incredible. But come on. You're going to have to be okay with being with Ever and Elfman for a little while, without me and Mirajane. Sometimes Lisanna. But mostly Elfman and Ever. Which, by the way, I'm not down with, but Mira swears you'll be fine."

Ugh. There Laxus went again, rambling on about stuff that, for the record, Nate did not, in the slightest, care about.

Nathan cared about things like dogs. And cats. And birds. A tacos. And Mirajane. And cars. Not necessarily in that order. Everything else was pretty much irrelevant in his world.

Not Laxus though. He just loved talking about things that Nathan couldn't stand. Like behaving. And not peeing in the bathwater. Or how it's not a good idea to lick the bottom of your shoes.

Laxus had too many rules!

So did Mira, but that was pretty much a moot point as, in case it needed to be rehashed, she could do anything she wanted.

"S'eepy, Daddy."

"I know, buddy. I just worry about you. And…and the wedding, I guess."

"Yes, yes."

"I didn't ask you a question."

"Yes, yes."

"Okay, buddy. Go to sleep then."

Like he need permission!

Ha!

But Laxus only laid there, waiting for Mira to finish up in the bathroom. And when she did, she only came to kiss him goodbye and tell him something about how she was going to be making dinner that night, her and Nate, when she got off, and not to worry about it.

Then she whispered how many days were left until their wedding, just like she did every morning and he grinned, but his stomach knotted up which was odd, but not completely unusual.

The way Freed was acting from the day before was getting to him.

But what would change anyhow, he reminded himself after Mirajane left for the day. They were already living together. And they had a kid together (sort of) and he wasn't going anywhere. Ever. He was right there. For the rest of his life.

So what was the big deal? It was just a damn ring.

And if Elfboy could do it, so could he!

…Couldn't he?

 


	8. Chapter 8

  


"So, the new baby is gonna be your niece or nephew too, huh?"

"Well," Lisanna said slowly as she and Bickslow walked around the tiny shop, looking for a present for Nate, as a souvineor of their trip. Turns out, it's a good idea to check the weather before you go camping. Lisanna and Bickslow got stuck in a major thunderstorm with the rainy weather lasting the whole week.

It was alright though, as they just spent it holed up in a motel room in a local town, having just as nice a time together.

"It is Elf's kid," Lisanna said slowly. "But at the same time, it's Ever's. Which is, you know, gross."

"No, I get it. For the reversed reason, but I get it."

"It's gonna, like, screw everything up again though."

"Completely."

"Hey, you think he'd like this?" Lisanna stopped in front of a little stuffed bear. "Mira gets mad when we buy him expensive stuff, you know."

"I dunno," he said with a shake of his head. "I'd buy him something real cool."

"Did you miss the part where I said that Mirajane would get-"

"I thought that was the point of all this anyhow? She's going to be pissed that we're fake married. This won't be nothing to her. And we'll get the kid on our side."

Lisanna frowned. "He really doesn't like me for some reason."

"Well, you take the attention of his mother off him. I'd hate you too."

"Thanks, babe."

"Ha! Babe. I am pretty babe-ish, eh?"

"Just shut up."

Bickslow flexed. "Any woman would be lucky to have me."

"Uh-huh."

"They would be."

"Did I say they wouldn't? Quite honestly, I'm flat out honored."

"Awe. You're, like, making me blush here, kid."

She only rolled her eyes. "Well, anyhow, the point is the yes, Elf's kid'll be, like, one of the best kids ever. But still, Evergreen, gross."

"Gross," the babies mimicked. "Gross."

"Well," Bickslow said as they went back to walking around the shop, to find little boss man the best toy ever. "As someone who likes Ever more than Elfman, I'd have to say that I'd be cool with the Ever part of the kid, but the Elfman part-"

"You know that there's literally no man on the face of the earth that I love more than him, right?"

"…Elfman's great!"

"Mmmhmm."

"Super even." He winked at her. "In fact, him and me? We're practically brothers as it is.

"Are you now?"

"Well, sure. The boss is marrying Mirajane and Elfman's marrying Ever which makes me what now? I mean come on, Lissy, it's obvious."

"Uh, the annoying friend that has very little relation to anyone?"

He only shook his head. "You're just jealous because even Nathan likes me more. Everyone does."

"Likes you more than me?"

"Yep." He snickered. "That's how come it's a good thing we're dating, yeah? I'll make sure that everyone's nice to you."

"It's funny, Bickslow, when you think about it."

"What?"

"That you really believe that," she said. "I'm the most even paced person in the guild. Everyone loves me. Everyone thinks you're creepy."

He stopped in his tracks then, tongue going back into his mouth with disappointment. "C-Creepy?"

"Mmmhmm."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"That's impossible."

"That's the absolute truth is what it is."

The babies were hanging around him then, as if to comfort their poor papa. Slowly though, he started to follow her around the shop once more.

"Absolute truth, huh?"

"Yep."

"I like that. The words. Absolute truth." His tongue tumbled out of his mouth. "Strikes a cord, huh?"

"I guess."

"Or I might just be hungry." He nodded. "Yeah, that's probably what I'm feeling."

"Probably."

When they finally picked out these cool plastic swords for the boy and some little kid samurai armor, they headed back to the hotel, Bickslow taking practice swings at stuff with the toy swords the whole way.

"I totally missed my calling, babe. I should have learned how to sword fight!"

"You cannot call me that," Lisanna told him. "Not if I'm going to call you it."

"Why can't we both call one another it? Huh? Babe?"

"Babe?" the dolls mimicked. "Babe?"

"I don't know, babe. Sounds kinda weird."

"Nah, babe. It's perfectly normal." Then he paused. "Unless you wanna call me, like, super amazing sword wielder Bickslow ro something to that affect."

"…Nah, babe will do fine."

"Good plan, babe."

In their hotel room, Lisanna only immediately went to lay down on the bed while Bickslow kept playing with his new swords.

"You sure we bought those for Nathan and not you?"

"Completely."

"And hey," she kept up. "You really wanna head back tomorrow?"

"Not really," he said as he kept running around the room, whacking playfully at the babies with the swords. "But we've been gone long enough, I think. And, hey, since we're married and stuff now-"

"Pretend married."

"-we're gonna have to play it up real good."

"What do you mean?"

"You're gonna have to move in with me," he told her. "And, like, stay there until this is over."

"Ew, gross."

"Why do you constantly call me gross? I don't get it."

Lisanna only took to humming then. After a moment though, she said, "Fine. We can live together."

"You're not doing me any favors here, kid. I was just-"

"But seriously, Bickslow, can we buy more than beer and sweets?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Actual food?"

"Bah! Why would we?"

Lisanna rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"No way." He grinned over at her. "I have to eat all fo that, yeah? To keep up my energy."

"Your energy, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, beer is a depressant," she pointed out. "So-"

"So after I've burned through all the sugar, I need something to lull me off to sleep. Bam! Beer. Get drunk. Simple."

"…I really think you have a flawed sense of logic."

"Meh."

He just kept playing with his swords. And, after a few minutes, he said, "Hey, Lissy?"

"Hmmm?"

"We're gonna have to go find the kid some other toys," he said. "'cause I'm totally in love with these."

"Yeah," Lisanna sighed. "I figured that would happen."

* * *

"Are you sure?"

Evergreen nodded as Elfman only stared at her. "Completely. If it means so much to Laxus, then-"

"But Ever," he said s she stood in front of the couch, staring at him. "Getting married meant a lot to you too. And I know that you lookup to Laxus, why, I think even more highly of Mirajane, but we can't plan our whole lives out because of them. That's not fair."

"I know," she said. "But…but it's not that big of a deal with me. I mean, you know a love a good dramatic fight."

"Yeah," he grumbled, rubbing at the back of his head, where she occasionally managed to land a hit on him. "I know."

"But not at the cost of Laxus. You know that your demon sister has him under her spell." Ever snorted. "If only I-"

"I know I might not be on good terms with her right now, but I still very much so love Mirajane, so you might watch what you say there, Evergreen."

Shaking her head, she said, "The point is, Elfman, that I don't care when we get married. Or if we do, really. I just… I thought that it would be better. For the baby. But all this arguing and stuff? With Mirajane? That's not good either."

"Hmmm."

"And she's sorta cemented herself in there with Laxus now. I just know it's matter of time before she turns up pregnant to. You know, trying to trap him."

Elfman blinked. "Explained to me again how you didn't do the same thing to me?"

That got a growl from the woman. "This? This was an accident? Who the hell would even want to trap you to begin with?"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm a very good catch."

"Oh, yeah? Who told you that? Your sister?"

"W-Well-"

"As your one and only, Elfman," she began then, all high and mighty and stuff. He only glared. "I can sleep safely knowing that I'll stay that way."

"You are not! I…I… I've slept with other people."

"Have you now?"

"…No. But I could!"

"Do you really want to play this game?" She raised an eyebrow. "Think carefully now."

He grunted, crossing his arms as he looked off. "What was the point of all this again?"

"The point is that we'll put our wedding off for a little while. Until after your sister's. Or maybe even after I have the baby."

"Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Slowly, she went to join him on the couch. "Yeah, I am."

"Okay," he sighed. "It's whatever you want, I guess."

While they were busy having their conversation, Mirajane and Laxus were in their own home, having a far deeper one.

Sort of.

"Who was your first love?"

Laxus blinked. Then he shifted on the bed slightly. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I woke up."

"And decided to ask me that?"

"What? Do you not wanna tell me?"

He was sitting up in bed, the lamp still on next to him as he tried to get some reading in. Mirajane had been curled up at his side moments before, but apparently had woken up at some point.

Lucky him.

"I don't know, Mirajane. You, I guess."

"That's a lie."

"How can you-"

"You had to have had a first love," Mirajane told him, yawning slightly. "Tell me."

"Can I go back to reading after?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Fine." He thought for a second. "I…I dunno. I used to wanna sleep with a lot of women, but-"

"Laxus-"

"Once," he began, "when I first started taking jobs far away from Magnolia, all on my own, I met this…girl. We were about the same age and I was trying to rid her village of some sort of monster or something. Whatever. And…and she was fucking hot. And she was all into me and shit. And when I finished the job… I mean, come on. I was, like, sixteen. I stuck around for awhile."

"What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened? I had to go back home, Mira."

"Yeah, but-"

"She was…nice, I guess, but real bratty. Like I said, we were just kids. And it didn't work out. I went back to her town once or twice, but she just acted like a major bitch about shit. Like who I had been seeing, why I wasn't coming around, if I was serious about her, if I'd take her to Magnolia. So it ended. And…and I really don't think about it much these days. Haven't in forever. Wow. She gave, like, the best head."

Mira made a face at him as he only sat there, reminiscing.

"Well," Mirajane said after giving him a moment. "The first guy that I was, like, completely in love with was-"

"Do I care?"

"Laxus," she complained. "This is one of those things that we should discuss."

"Why?" He shook his head. "I don't love that woman no more. Or any woman. Anyone really. Just you. Always you. And I know that you feel the same so-"

"I was totally in love with him too." Mira decided to just keep going with her story. "He was older. Probably…in his thirties? And Lisanna had just died and he was…you know, my…first and it was amazing and he bought me things and-"

"I don't wanna hear about this."

"Why not?"

"Because, Mira, why does it matter? I mean, seriously? I know that we're forever. The past is just that; the past. Dwelling on it ain't going to help anything."

"Fine." She shifted then, shutting her eyes once more. "Never mind."

But…he was a little curious then. And, after a few minutes, he just couldn't take it.

"Mira? You still up?"

"Mmmm?"

"Uh…well…just 'cause you already brought it up… If you guys were so in love, why-"

"I said that I was in love with him, Lax," she sighed, not opening her eyes. "But he wasn't with me. I didn't get that, you know, when I was younger. But he was just using me for…sex and I was, you know, pretty and I was fading out of all that angry stuff and becoming all innocent and… He was just using me. That's all. And when he got tired of it, he broke it off with me. And I cried and I felt horrible and thought that I wouldn't ever be with someone again, but, I dunno, I guess that I like that feeling."

"What feeling?"

"You know," she giggled, though he could still hear the exhaustion in her tone. "The one you get when you just love another person so much that you can't take it. And everything's fuzzy and warm and-"

"When did you feel that with me?"

"Well, I didn't."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"I didn't," she repeated. "It just never came."

"But-"

"Our love's different, Lax, than those," she said.

"What do you mean?"

Grinning, she opened her eyes, peeking out at him from under her bangs. "I didn't just fall in love with you. I didn't see you and know that you were the one. We grew. From being acquaintances to friends to caring for a kid together and then, slowly, I started to like you and eventually love you. It's so different than anything else."

He blinked. "I got fuzzy."

"You what?"

"Those feelin's you were talkin' about," he said. "I got fuzzy and-"

"You're lying."

"Well," he said slowly. "I got somethin'. Somethin' that I ain't felt before."

"What?"

"I don't know, demon," he grumbled. "I just know that I…that this isn't the way I've ever… I love you. I'm totally devoted to you. I mean, do you know how many times I've thought about fuckin' around on you?"

She blinked. "I was hoping not at all."

"I mean when we're fighting or something and it crosses my mind that, hey, those women are still into me. And I could get away with it."

"You could not."

He shrugged. "We won't ever know, will we? Because I always-"

"No, Laxus, we know." Her gaze was suddenly stronger. "If you even so much as touch another woman in a way that I construe as wrong-"

"Yeah, yeah."

"No, Laxus. I'm serious. No one makes me a fool. Not anymore."

Reaching over, he patted her gently on the head. "Is that what he did to you, huh? Made you feel stupid?"

"What are you-"

"That guy that you were telling me about," he said. "Made you feel like a kid? Like your feelings were stupid?"

She snorted. "How you've made every other woman you've been with feel?"

"Are we seriously going over this again?"

"I'm just saying."

"Well stop saying. I was nothing if not upfront with all- Don't give me that look. Alright, fine, most of the women." He grinned at her, but it was forced and she didn't buy it. "What difference does all that make now though? Look at me, Mir. I'm in love, really in love, with you. And our son. Ours. And I'm ready to have more sons with you. Or daughters. I don't care. I just know that this is our life now and I've never wanted anything more."

"Really?"

He nodded. "If it came down to you and Nate or the guild, babe, I'd be right there with you guys, on the train out of Magnolia, and would be a traveling merchant if I had to. It wouldn't matter. You guys are all I want now. Forever."

Mira couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips or the tears that threatened to fall. "I'd give everything up for you too."

"Okay then." He went back to his book. "So can you go to sleep now? And we can never talk about any of that again?"

"Yeah, sure."

She drifted off not soon after that and he couldn't stay up and read anymore. His concentration was broken. Turning off the light and setting his book on the bedside table, he rolled onto his side, facing his demon.

Maybe he didn't feel fuzzy. But he did feel warm. A lot. And whole. And loved. He'd never felt that before. Not really.

Fine, Gramps loved him, but he'd always rejected that, if only because it felt tainted and forced. Gramps had to love him, just like Ivan should have.

But Mira? She didn't have to love him. Not even to get at Nate. She could have had him either way.

No, she chose to have those feelings for him. And not superficial ones either, like those other women had, that only knew him for his strength and, well, his unbelievable sexiness (and his over inflated sense of self). No, Mira liked him for…other reason.

Like how he took care of her. Listened to her. Was just as strong as her, but could take over when she wasn't doing so hot.

She loved him. Truly and deeply. And she loved his son, which was great. Through her, he learned to do the same.

Laxus knew too that he wouldn't have any thing without Mira. He'd have still been having meaningless sex, which, albeit fun and awesome and…and…

What was he arguing again?

"Shit," he grumbled, pushing out of bed about that time when he heard the boy start up from the other room. He'd been having nightmares recently and, though both he and Mira agreed to let him cry it out sometimes, if only to let him know that he could calm himself down, he didn't want the noise to wake Mira up again.

"Nate," he groaned as he came into the boy's bedroom, the dog pushing passed him when he opened the door, no doubt to go get a sip of water from his bowl in the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"Wan' Mira!"

"No way." He came further into the room. "She's sleeping, buddy. You don't want me to wake her up, do you?"

"Yes!"

"No." He came to sit on the bed. "What was the dream about?"

He didn't say. Only sniffled as he reached out to grab Laxus' arm. "Daddy lay down."

"No, Nate. Remember? We talked about this." Tapping his nose, he said, "Daddy has the best nose in all of the world. I can smell if someone so much as steps foot in this apartment. And my ears? Shoot. My ears can hear the birds outside swishing around."

"Na-ah."

"Yeah-huh."

"No."

"Yes."

"Daddy."

He leaned down to kiss the boy's head. "Ain't nobody in this world that can ever take you from me. Okay? You're safe. You think Daddy would let you get hurt?"

"Mmmm-"

"Well, what about Mira then? Huh? You think that she-"

"No."

"You sure were quick with that one, brat," he grumbled, stroking the boy's blond locks then. "Well, she's here. And she won't let anyone in. No one that might hurt you. We love you."

"Love Mommy."

Laxus cleared his throat. Nate only took to picking his nose.

"Uh, kid? You forgetting someone?"

"Love doggy."

"Kid-"

"Love Laxus!" He giggled as the man ruffled his hair then.

"Well, kid," he sighed, moving to stand up. "I-"

"Daddy!"

"What?"

"Stay."

"Nate," he groaned as the boy grabbed onto his arm again. "I…" Sigh. Sitting down once more, he said, "Just until you fall asleep. Since you're my boy."

* * *

"You sure are quiet today."

"Am I?" Mirajane giggled at Kinana as they passed one another behind the bar. "Just focused on working, I guess. And keeping an eye on Nate."

"He seems docile today."

"I think he's sleepy," Mira said. "Laxus said that he wouldn't go to sleep last night or something."

"You weren't there?"

"I slept through it."

"All the work you put in here," Kinana said, "I'm sure your body is thankful for any rest it gets."

That was true, Mira was sure, but since the other woman had pointed out her lack of energy, she tried then to get all pumped up and less tense.

It was probably the wedding, she figured, that had her so stressed out. And yeah, Nate had been behaving at the bar all day, but she kept finding herself going over to where he was playing with Asuka, to make sure that he was fine.

She just worried. That was all.

It wasn't until later, when her younger sister turned up, that she realized what it really was.

She'd been concerned where Lisanna had been. Of course.

But she had to play it cool. Had to pretend like she hadn't noticed.

"Hi," Mira greeted, tone even and normal as she stood behind the bar, Bickslow following Lisanna as they came over.

"Mira," Lisanna practically sang and the woman couldn't help the smile playing at her lips. Her sister's tone hadn't been dark or deceitful at all. Maybe they were finally all made up.

Mirajane sure hoped so.

"What?" The she-demon was all ready for Lisanna to tell her about her trip or how she was sorry or something like that.

Instead, Lisanna only took a seat, leaning against the bar as she stared into her sister's matching eyes.

"While we were out of town, Bickslow and I did some thinking."

Oh, good. An apology.

Not letting on, Mira only nodded.

"Thinking, huh?"

"Mmmhmm." Then Lisanna grinned at Bickslow and his babies, who were circling over head. "And we realized how stupid a wedding would be."

Mira let out a slow breath. Then, "Lisanna, I am so happy that you're thinking clearly again. I mean-"

"Wedding's are just, like, so super expensive, right? And Bickslow and I hardly have any money at all to begin with."

"Yeah, and you're just so-"

"So we eloped!"

Then those blue irises were locked and, for a brief second, Lisanna saw something flash in her sister's eyes.

Just like that though, it was gone and Mira was grinning at them, but it was fake and plastic and…

What was happening? Where was the big blow up? The yelling? The great prank?

"That's really something," Mirajane said slowly, cocking her head to the side. "Wow."

"Did you hear me? We eloped," she repeated as Bickslow, reading the tone, snickered uncomfortably.

"I'm, uh, gonna go… Hey! Look! It's little boss man! I bought him a toy." Bickslow headed over there.

He'd meant to get the kid a toy, he meant. Every toy he picked up though, he found that he liked and kept.

So he'd gotten the boy a keychain.

Practical, huh?

"I heard," Mirajane said before smiling at her. "That's wonderful. I hope that you have a wonderful and long marriage."

"M-Mira-"

"I'm just so happy for you."

"Why are you-"

"I have to go now. I'm working."

"But-"

Mira only turned to walk off then, picking up a tray of beers and rushing off down to the game room, just to get away from her sister. Defeated, Lisanna headed over to Bickslow, who starting to realize that keychains weren't toddler proof and that the little boss very well could choke on it.

Huh.

No toy for him then.

Because Bickslow was not giving up his swords for nothing!

"Hey, Lissy." He grinned at him. "Wanna announce it to-"

"I wanna go home."

"Huh? We still have to-"

"Now."

"But-"

"Right now."

"But Mira didn't even get mad. At all. She-"

"I know." She tugged on his arm. "And that's the problem."

"Wha-"

"I'm doing this for your own good. She's in shock. Let's get out of here before she comes out of it."

"But don't you wanna stick around to see-"

"I thought she'd blow up right off the bat and it'd be funny and… I'm really starting to realize that every time I listen to you, that I only get in trouble."

"Listen to me? All this pranking Mirajane was your idea."

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to tell me to go through with that stuff," she said. "You're supposed to tell me no, that it's stupid to bother my sister. That she loves me and that Elf loves me and that-"

"Why would I do any of that? You're grown. You should be able to reason that stuff all on your own! Don't you know that I'm just the go along type of guy? You wanna bother Mira? Fine. Rob a bank? Sure. Get married? Let's do it. I don't reason! Who reasons anymore?"

"Well, one of us better learn!"

"This is such a downer," he complained then. "Can't we at least go tell someone else that we're married? And get the full affect?"

"Fine," Lisanna groaned, dragging him along. "Let's go tell Elf and Evergreen. He'll cry and probably try to punch you."

"That doesn't sound too good, but I'm game."

"Bickslow-"

"Then Freed."

"Then Natsu and Lucy."

He nodded. "And when exactly do we come out that it's fake?"

"Let's give it a day, huh? Maybe Mira'll be in a better mood then. Accept it and stuff."

"It's whatever you say. I don't have good reasoning skills, remember?"

"Well, you are going with me to tell my brother who hardly likes you to begin with that we're married, so yeah, I can't believe that I haven't see it before."

"Me neither."

But as they scurried from the guildhall, they didn't realize the mess that they were, once again, leaving Laxus when he and Mira met back up that night at home.

"They're what?"

Mira only nodded as Nate ran around the living room, the dog chasing them, both being excited to be reunited.

"Yeah, Laxus. You're stupid bodyguard actually went out and did it. They got married. Do you know what this is going to do? They're not ready to be married! It was one thing when they were just saying they were, but-" Mira stopped speaking for a moment as she put a hand to her head. "Oh gosh. I drove her to this…this…horrible decision, didn't I?"

"Mira-"

"I've been horrible and now she's run off with the first guy that's showed her any attention and…and…and… Can I do anything right?"

"Mirajane-"

"He's going to be horrible for her. He really is. And she's going to probably end up pregnant and he's going to realize how stupid the whole thing was and leave her and Lisanna's life is going to be ruined and she's- Where are you going?"

He only headed over to the front door, slipping on his boots on the way.

"This has gone on long enough. Lisanna has you all freaked out every other day and I'm sick of it. She's not a kid anymore. Playing with you isn't something that I'm going to put up with."

"Laxus-"

"And I gave Bickslow an order. A direct one. This sort of shit isn't funny and I'm not putting up with it. If those two knuckleheads want to have fun together, fine, but not at your expense. I'm done. This all ends now."

"What are you going to do?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm going to talk to them."

"And what's that going to do? They're still married and-"

"Bullshit."

"What?"

"Think about it, Mira. Why would they get married? If Lisanna can't even sleep with him? And still gets nervous when they share a bed?"

"W-Why would you know-"

"Bickslow talks about everything." He was opening the door then. "They're messing with you, demon. She's been messing with you from the beginning. But it's starting to get to me too."

"Laxus rawr," Nate giggled as the man slammed the front door behind him. Mirajane let out a slow breath.

"He can be pretty scary," she agreed softly, blushing slightly.

Was it a game?

She didn't think so. She knew how irrational Lisanna could be at times. Her getting married on a whim sounded like something the woman would do.

"And so what if she had?" Mira slowly went to go sit down on the couch as Nate, finished with his dog, came to join her. "Or has? What can I do?"

"Mommy?" He snuggled up in her lap. "Okay?"

"No," she told him. "But…maybe I should be. Lisanna's life is her life. A mess of one, I think, but…"

"Yuck."

"Don't say that. You love Lisanna."

Sorta.

Nate only made Mira wrap her arms around him. "Mommy marry me?"

"Right now," she sighed, leaning down to press a kiss to his head, "wedding's are the last thing I wanna think about."

 


	9. Chapter 9

  


"Boss! I'm tryin' to have my honeymoon in here and you come over, banging on the door and- Eek!"

Laxus, upon his bodyguard opening the door, wrapped a hand around the other man's throat. "I am going to fucking choke you to death, you-"

"What are you doing?"

Lisanna was coming out of the bedroom then, arms crossed over her chest. Releasing Bickslow as he was only a not so innocent bystander, he shoved his way into the apartment.

"You," he growled. "You have been a real pain in my ass recently and I have had enough of it."

"You can't talk to me like that. Bickslow," she called, glancing over at her boyfriend. Always the over dramatic kind though, he was collapsed on the floor, the babies swarming him as he gasped for air.

"This is it," he called out. "I'm seein' the light!"

"Bickslow!"

He sat up some then, glaring over at her. "I'm trying to have a death scene over here, kid. If you would kindly-"

"Don't let him talk to me-"

"Hey, boss, leave the lady alone, huh?" He laid back down on the ground. "And pay attention to me! I'm puttin' out my best over here."

"I talk to you how ever the fuck I want," Laxus told her. "What are you gonna do? Tell your sister?"

"Yes! And she-"

"No. You're not. Because from this point forth, you're not allowed to even go near her."

"What?"

"You heard me," he said. "All you do is try and hurt my demon's feelings. Well, guess what? I'm not dealing with it anymore. She's mine now. Not yours. And until you learn how to treat her properly, you can kiss your sister goodbye."

"Screw you, Laxus."

He was exploding then though and wasn't ready to cut it out yet. "And this little marriage sham? Yeah, you're gonna knock that off."

"What are you talking about? We-"

"Bullshit. You won't even fuck the guy."

"H-Hey," she complained, blushing deeply then. "Bickslow, would you-"

"With my last, dying breath, I will say this. I loved Lissy and you, boss, both equally." This his head lulled to the side and his tongue flopped out of his mouth.

"Papa!" the babies sobbed. "Papa!"

Laxus and Lisanna were both too busy glaring at one another to care.

"Mira's my sister. Always. You're just the guy that she's interested for now," Lisanna told him then, looking off. "And if you're stupid enough to-"

"Mira's my wife soon. And that trumps you. Me, her, Nate? We're a family now. You're just a reject."

"Please. She'll get another baby out of you and then be done with all your stupid attitudes and annoying habits." Lisanna gave him a dark gaze. "I could ruin your wedding right now if I wanted to."

"Do it then! Huh? Huh? Why don't you?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "Because you can't. And you know it. You're sitting here playing with Mira's emotions because you know soon enough, you won't be able to. Well-"

"I am not!" If he was done with her, Lisanna was more so finished with him. "It was all a joke. A damn joke. All of it. But you and Mira make everything a big deal. Everything's such a serious thing. Well, guess what, Laxus? It's not. Mira can have her damn wedding. She can have you. And she can have her family. I don't care! Why would I care? I don't. So just get out and stop trying to tell me what to do. You're not my brother. You're not even my friend anymore. Go marry Mira and leave me the hell alone."

"Just stay the hell out of the demon's hair. Got it? And you're going to tell her that this stupid eloping business was-"

"I'm not telling Mira anything. And next time she wants to talk to me, she can come here and do it herself. Now get out. You stupid jerk."

Lisanna headed off for the bedroom once more, shutting the door behind her. Bickslow lifted his head at the sound.

"Party over, boss?"

"Shut the fuck up. And stand the hell up! What are you doing? Huh?"

"Dying." Still the game was over, so he jumped right back up, dusting himself off while he was at it.

"Papa," the babies exclaimed, happy to find that he was still alive. "Papa."

"You and her aren't really-"

"Of course not, boss," he said as he grinned. "She won't even let me pop it yet, yeah?"

With a groan, Laxus shoved Bickslow back down onto the ground, just out of irritation before heading back out of the apartment.

"What part of leaving my woman alone didn't you get, Bickslow?"

"No, I got it," he said. "But see, well, my lady she kinda-"

"Who's in charge of you? Her? Or me?"

"I like to think I have freewill, but-"

"Just get your shit together. Both of you. I'm done with bull. And if that's all you're going to bring to the table anymore, then I done with you."

Bickslow stayed on the ground for awhile after Laxus left, just laying there in the darkness of his living room, watching the babies float around. Eventually, Lisanna came to get him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, staring down at him.

"I dunno."

"Well, are you coming to bed?"

"Dunno."

Rolling her eyes, Lisanna reached down to grab one of his hands and pull him back to his feet. "Come on."

And even though he knew it was wrong to ever doubt his idol, wrong to compare just that one moment, he had to say, it felt a lot nicer when Lisanna picked him up than when Laxus threw him down.

* * *

"Daddy day, Daddy day, Daddy day. Nate 'n' Daddy day. Love Daddy!"

"Okay, okay, knock it off," Laxus groaned as he and his son walked down the road, the little boy holding an ice cream cone in one hand. "I know you're happy, but chill out some, huh? The day has just begun."

Nate kept humming though. Daddy days were the best. Right behind any and every day spent with Mirajane. Duh.

But nope! That very morning, Mira had run off and left Nathan all alone with Laxus, which wasn't great, but after moping around the house for awhile, bellyaching and saying things like, "How was I supposed to know that threatening Lisanna wasn't on the table? Huh?" he took Nate out on a Daddy day.

That's what Nate coined it anyhow. They were so rare.

"Love Laxus," he told the man as he happily walked along, licking at his ice cream cone. "Daddy."

"Yeah, buddy, I know."

Laxus hadn't gotten an ice cream cone. That's how come he was so depressed, Nate figured. He tried to share his, if only a little, but Laxus said that he wasn't hungry.

Who in their right mind wouldn't be hungry for ice cream?

"Daddy sad?" he asked after he finished his treat and still the man didn't crack a smile. Which wasn't so unusual. But he typically would look void when he wasn't smiling. Frowning wasn't something that his father did often. "Daddy?"

"I'm fine."

Nate wiggled the hand locked in his father's free. When Laxus looked down at him, the little boy only held out his arms.

"Hug?"

"Nate-"

"Mira hug!" Then he wrapped both arms tightly around his father's legs, holding on for dear life. Whenever he was upset or scared, Mira would hug him up real tight and not let him go until he was giggling again. She was the best. "Daddy."

"Nate," he groaned. "Knock it off."

"Love Laxus." He nuzzled his head against the man. "Mmmmm."

"Don't hum against me." Laxus looked around the road they were on, as if scared of witnesses. "Kid, you're being weird."

"Love Daddy."

"Well, yeah, I love you too, but just cut it out. I'm fine. I don't need a…Mira hug. I don't even wanna think about her right now. She's probably over there with Lisanna, bad mouthing me. And for what? Because I finally stood up for her? Please. I'm doing my best here and she's just-"

"Love Mira. Love Daddy. Love doggy. Love Bick'o. Love Elf. Love E'er. Love F'eed. Love me-"

"Kid, you can't love yourself."

The hell he couldn't.

Dropping his arms, Nate grinned up at Laxus. "Go park, Daddy? Now?"

Laxus grunted and started walking again. Not before reaching down to grab the kid's hand though. Tightly.

"No more hugs," he said. "And…and if you behave, we can go to the park."

If? If he could behave? Bah! Nate didn't even know the opposite of behave, but if he did, he would for certain never be it.

Daddy day went great too. Except Laxus never seemed to be that into it. But Nate was. Not only did he get ice cream and got to go to the park, but they also went to the toy store, where he got some new little cars, and then they went home to get the doggy and took him for a walk. When all that was finished though, Nate was a little sleepy, as they'd somehow forgotten naptime, so after dropping the doggy at home, he put Nate up on his shoulders and walked him over to Freed's place.

"I think I just pissed the demon off."

Freed, overjoyed to have not only a visitor, but more importantly Laxus, was quick to usher him in.

"I'll make coffee. Or tea. Whatever you want. I'll just make both and then you can decide."

Nate, from where he was on Laxus' shoulders, only said, "Juice."

"Yes, of course. I bought little juice boxes for just this occasion."

Glancing down at his father, Nate giggled. He was slowly learning to having Freed around was the best thing ever.

Laxus, used to this sort of treatment, only went to sit on the man's couch, shifting his son to his lap while he was at it.

"You said that you were having problems with Mirajane?" Freed was back, a hastily thrown together platter of crackers and cheese in one hand, a juice box in the other.

"T'anks," Nate giggled as he took the juice. Laxus frowned at the platter until Freed went to set it down on the coffee table with a sigh. "F'eed."

Laxus had to help poke the little straw in the juice box for Nate, but after that, the boy mentally checked out of their conversation. He jumped down from Laxus' lap and, with a warning from his father not to get into anything, went to explore the place.

Freed didn't have a cool kitty or doggy or floating dolls like all of his other mother and father's friends, but Freed did have a habit of not shutting doors. Namely, the bathroom door. And, for the record, the toilet wanted to be filled up with shampoo bottles and toilet paper.

It was just asking for it.

Not that Freed and Laxus noticed the boy's long absence. Oh no. They had other things to discuss.

Namely, the Strauss siblings.

"Yes," Freed agreed. "I have long thought that eventually her brother and sister would lead to the downfall of your relationship."

"Downfall?" Laxus didn't like that word. Not at all. "I think you're taking things a bit far here, Freed. I-"

"If she's kicking you out, both you and the child are both welcome here!"

"I really don't-"

"In fact," Freed kept up. "You can bring the filthy dog that the boy loves so much. And I won't charge you rent. I-"

"Freed, chill." Laxus sighed then, staring straight ahead. "I'm just real confused here, you know? When I got home from Bickslow's, I was all pumped. Real pumped. I just finished telling Lisanna off and I thought that Mira would love to hear about it. But then she was all mad at me and stuff. Saying that I shouldn't have done that. That she sent me over there to explain to them that they were going to have to annul their marriage. Not threaten them. Not make Lisanna think that she wasn't important to her. Then I got kicked out on the couch again! Which, by the way, I'm getting real tired of. And sore from."

"I would never make you stay out on the couch," Freed told him. "You would take my room, of course."

"Of course."

"And I would sleep on the couch."

"Good plan. Great plan. So basically you're sayin' that I should kick Mira out on the couch, huh? Let her see how she likes it?"

No, Freed was none too slyly trying to move Laxus in and then never let him move out, but…

"That," the man said slowly, "sounds like an okay plan. But I don't think Mirajane will like it much. Really, Laxus, women are not-"

"Damn demon. Tryin' to make me look like less of a man or something. Well, that's not okay! She's not going to disrespect the Thunder God."

"Damn right," Freed agreed, the words pumping him up and making him forget his main objective. Err, his secondary one. Because the first was to get Laxus living with him while the next was to keep him from making a horrible life decision. Because Freed had limited experience with women, but something told him Laxus kicking Mirajane out of the bedroom would not go over well.

Which, on second thought, was actually an excellent way to get Mira to actually kick Laxus out of the whole apartment, leaving him nowhere to go, but Freed's. Yes! That ending almost wrote itself.

…Probably with Laxus once again explaining to Freed he was, above all else, straight and not interested in any other relationship with him than the one they had now, where Freed worshiped him and Laxus exploited it.

Sigh. Even in his fantasies Laxus didn't give in…

Well, most of them anyhow.

Err…

"And," Laxus was continuing then, "when we get married, I'mma be the one with the control in the relationship. I don't submit for shit. I'm a fuckin' dragon. I'll rip her pretty little claws right off. Tryin' to make someone like me give in. Ha! Never."

No matter how much he would rather be with Laxus himself, Freed couldn't let the man make a complete and utter mistake. He just couldn't.

"Uh, Laxus?" he tried. "I don't think- What was that?"

"What was what?"

"It sounded like…water or something." Freed stood slowly and glanced around. "Where is Nathan?"

Laxus, still all absorbed in the idea of forcing the demon down on her knees (it started out with a figurative image, but the literal one was pretty nice too), and only grunted.

"Nate," he called out. "Where are you, buddy?"

At the moment? Being bad. Which, by the way, Nate just remembered was the opposite of behaving. Yeah, never mind. He was that a lot. Huh. How could he have forgotten that.

"What has he done?" Freed exclaimed when they found him in the bathroom, happily making the toilet overflow, juice box in hand.

"Well," Laxus said slowly. "You're the one that left the door open."

"Of course I did. Why would I shut it?"

"I mean, he's potty trainin', yeah, but he's still an adventurous little brat."

Nate had to agree. It was all Freed's fault!

…Until Laxus went and snatched him up and placed a rather hard smack on his butt.

"You were still bad," he reminded as the little boy took to wailing. "And the demon ain't here to clean up after you. So that gets you double the spanks, yeah?"

Nathan hated Daddy day. He never wanted another one!

* * *

"Lisanna? Is that you, kid?" Bickslow asked as he flung open the door. Upon seeing Evergreen and Elfman, he only sighed. "Great. Still not her."

"What? She finally run out on you?" Ever asked as she came into the apartment. "The honeymoon over?"

Elfman, still not over this, stayed out in the hallways, glaring at Bickslow. The seith didn't have time for him though and shut the door in his face.

"Mirajane came over real early this morning," he told Evergreen as her boyfriend only opened the door again and came in, slamming it behind him. "And she kidnapped the kid while I was in the shower."

"Kidnapped!" the babies cried. They sure missed Lissy. "Lisanna!"

"Why would she do that?" Ever, after making sure that it was up to her standards (Bickslow had a habit of leaving his dirty underwear on it), when to take a seat on the couch. "I thought she was mad at all of us?"

"I'm mad at you!" Elfman wasn't giving up. When Bickslow and Lisanna had come over to tell him and Ever about their marriage the other day, he'd immediately started bawling and forgotten to take a swing at the man. But now was his chance. "I'll kill you!"

"Behave," Evergreen told her own fiancé with a roll of her eyes. "Honestly, Elf, all your yelling is making my stomach hurt."

That was her quick fix to everything and worked once again as he only grunted before crossing his arms and looking off.

"So anyhow," Bickslow said. "Lissy ain't been back at all. And it's been hours. I've been so worried that I just, well, I smoked a bunch of shit and got drunk."

"That's what you usually do."

"But I did it alone! Without Lissy! And I'm miserable." Bickslow went to lay down on the ground once more, which he'd been doing before there'd been a knock on the door. He really liked his floor. And laying on it. "What if Mira, like, murders her?"

"If you were worried," Elfman said slowly. "Why didn't you go find her?"

"Do what now?"

"Elf," Ever sighed. "Don't try and apply logic to him. It's impossible."

"I'm just so depressed. Marriage is the worst. Right up there with chronic diarrhea and genital warts."

"Gross!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Wait, those are the worst things in life?" Ever asked. "Really?"

"Yes, Ever. Have you ever had genital warts? I mean, really?"

"No!" she was quick to say before challenging, "Have you?"

"Of course not! And I don't want them. Because they're the worst thing ever."

"You better not," Elfman grumbled, glaring once more at the seith. "Because…because… I'm going to be sick, Ever."

"Calm down. It wasn't like you thought that Lisanna was never going to have sex…did you?"

"I don't know. I don't think about it!"

"Well, you can keep not thinking about it," Bickslow said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Ever asked. "Bickslow?"

"What do you mean what does he mean?" Elfman kept up. "It's clear what he means! Why would I ever want to think about that? And for once, I agree with him. I never-"

"Lissy and I ain't ever…err… Surprise! We're not married."

"You what?" Ever stood at that as Elfman growled. "Why-"

"You lied to me! What did you go and do that for, huh?"

"It's a prank," he said.

"Why did you just tell us-"

"I dunno. I'm stoned. And bored. And sleepy. And hungry. And sad. And depressed. And I want my Lissy. Babies! I need you."

"Papa!" They all came to land on him then, just as morose as he was. "Papa!"

"We love Lisanna," he whined. "And we'd marry her right now! For real! If she was here. And not just so I could get it in. Though that also sounds like a very good-"

"Would you stop talking?" Elfman didn't know whether to be mad, glad, or…or…

Lisanna wasn't married!

He went with ecstatic.

"So you didn't really elope?" Ever asked.

"No."

"Good." She still glared at him. "Though that was what we came over here for."

"Why? Gonna bring us a wedding present?"

"Absolutely not," Elfman said. "I came to beat some sense into you and then take my little sister home! Where she belongs."

"I came to just, you know, ask about it," Ever said slowly. "I mean, as you know, Elfman and I have called off our wedding."

"No," he said. "Didn't know that. How come?"

"Laxus," she said.

"Hmmm. Good call."

"Eloping though isn't like a real wedding though, right?" She wasn't looking at him then though as she thought. "And it would kinda be like giving into what Mira wants and what I want. Don't you think?"

"No," Bickslow agreed with a sigh. "I don't. Think I mean."

"We've noticed," the other man grumbled.

"Elf." Ever glanced at him then. "Do you…want to?"

"Kill him? Yes. But it's against my moral code. And Lisanna wouldn't-"

"No, stupid. Do you want to…elope?"

"Quite honestly, I'm confused why we're calling it that. I thought that only kids eloped?" Elfman asked.

"Oh, pick now to be smart."

"I think she's askin' ya to just go get married at a courthouse or somethin'," Bickslow told him as he shut his eyes. "Whatever you guys do is fine with me, if it matters. Just get out. Please. I'm mourning my wife here. And don't tell her that I told you that she ain't my wife! She's really annoyin' about me tellin' people things and stuff."

"Does that mean that you're gonna move in now?" Elfman asked. "Finally? For real? No more going back to your apartment and refusing to come over again?"

"Well, I mean, I like my apartment and my space, but-"

"You guys drive a hard bargain," Bickslow said. "But me and Lissy'll take the house off your hands, yeah?"

"Shut up, Bickslow."

"Oh, yeah, Ever, I'll shut up in my  _own damn apartment_. Which, by the way, I've already politely asked you to leave."

"So we're doing this then, yeah?" Elfman fist pumped as she came closer to him. "Marriage is so manly!"

"Don't ruin this," she said simply, reaching out to grab his arm and pull it back down. "Please."

Still, his grin was almost infectious and she had to get out of there before Bickslow saw her smile. He'd tease her about it for weeks if he did.

After they left, Bickslow lit up again, still trying to rack his brain for places that Mirajane could have possibly buried Lisanna's body, so he could go dig it up and get her soul.

"A Lissy doll." Hmmm. That sounded grand. So grand that that was precisely what he dreamt about later, when he fell asleep.

"Great," Lisanna had sighed when she found him like that, in the middle of the floor, passed out. Still, she only came further into the apartment and went to sit down on the floor with him. "Bicks? Wake up. Have you been like this all day?"

"Mmmm?" Peeking an eye open, he whispered, "Lissy? You alive, kid?"

"As alive as ever."

"Mmmm." He shut his eyes again. "Me and the babies was worried."

"So worried that you smoked with out me?" The apartment reeked. "Bickslow?"

"And drank."

"You're so stupid."

"I love you."

Frowning, Lisanna patted his cheek as he seemingly drifted off again. "You what?"

"Go 'way!" He shoved at her in response. "I'm sleepin' here!"

"Bickslow-"

"Lissy!" The babies were up again and came to circle around her, eventually finding their place in her lap and on her head. "Lisanna."

She still just stared down at their father. "I love you too, Bickslow."

"I know," he grumbled. "So let me sleep."

"'kay." She stood then, the dolls following as she headed into the bedroom, where she'd probably end up telling them all about her day with Mirajane as, apparently, they were the only ones that cared. She knew later too that she'd be going home to sleep, hopefully avoiding Ever and Elfman, if they were home. "Okay."

* * *

"Mira," Laxus called out as he came into the apartment. "You here? Because before the boy says anything-"

"Daddy spanked!" Nate ran right in, breaking free of his father's grip to rush into the kitchen. "Mommy!"

Mira was in there, of course, starting on dinner.

"He what?"

"Mira, the kid ruined Freed's bathroom," Laxus reasoned. "Water everywhere. I, like, didn't clean it up, of course, because ew, but I did feel bad for Freed."

"He what?" That time, the tone was directed at Nathan, who stuck his tongue out at his father.

"Spanked," he insisted. "Two."

"That wasn't right, Nathan, but neither was what you did," Mirajane told him with a frown. "Go to your room. You can come out when it's time to eat."

That's it? Damn. Laxus was glad that he was, like, the demon's boyfriend (for the most part), but if he could go back and have her as a mother, he would have. She was the easiest punisher ever.

"And you," she growled after Nate had run off, turning her attention to the boy's father once more. "Come here."

"Mirajane-"

"Now."

When he was close enough, she said, "Turn around."

"What-"

"Do it."

When he did, he was welcomed with the feeling of Mira literally slapping his butt. He blushed in response, it was so random.

"See? How do you like it?"

"Well," he began as he slowly turned to face her. "It wasn't exactly pleasurable, but definitely something we'll try next time the kid's spending the night with someone else. I've never really thought about it for myself and I'm definitely not submissive, I've already decided that, but-"

"Laxus!"

He rubbed at his ass. "You hit me a lot harder than I did him. Seriously."

"You deserved it."

"I'd spank you back, but we both know you'd enjoy it!"

That time his arm to got a hit. "The point is, Laxus, that I don't want you spanking him."

"He ruined poor Freed's bathroom!"

"And I'm sure you weren't watching him at the time."

"Well… He's not a baby. I shouldn't have to."

Mira shook her head and went back to the stove. "And anyhow, where were you today? When I got back, you guys weren't home."

"I just said that we went over to Freed's. And we went to the park. Took the mutt for a walk. Those sorts of things." His butt still hurt. Rubbing at it some more, he went to get a beer. He deserved it. "You were gone with Lisanna all day then, I take it?"

"Mmmhmm," she sighed. "We went out to breakfast first. And then to shop a little. And lunch. Then we just went to sit and talk. I'm surprised I didn't run into you at all, since you were apparently out on the town as well."

"So you guys are… I mean… Is everything okay?"

"No," Mira sighed. "Not really. But it's better. We talked about it and how she just feels like I've been a major bitch about this whole wedding thing. And I told her that I feel the same way about her, really, and how she's been acting. That she's been being mean to me for no reason. And she said I've been treating her and Elf the same. That I always do this. I get caught up in one thing and forget about the others."

Laxus grunted. "They're grown. They're not your family anymore. Me and Nate-"

"That's not true, Laxus, so stop saying it. We're all one big family now. I didn't leave her and Elfman behind. And Elf's not leaving us behind. We're just bringing new people into the fold. That's all. It's kinda like we joined two families."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Just something I thought of."

"What-"

"You guys are your own little family and, of course, me, Elfman, and Lisanna are one. Now we've all intermingled and- Well, except poor Freed, but I don't have another sister…or brother…or whatever."

Laxus only grunted. "So this means that you're okay now? 'cause I don't mind Lisanna much, but when she's making you cry and stuff, I just can't help, but to-"

"I know. I love you too."

He let out a slow breath then before going to take a seat at the table. "I just want to spend the rest of this time focused on our wedding. Not on fighting with Ever or Lisanna or whatever. I want us to be happy about getting married. Not all stressed out and worried."

"You're so sweet."

"Am not," he grumbled. "I'm just looking out for my own best interests, yeah?"

'You are not," she said. "You're trying to keep me from getting hurt. And that's sweet. You're sweet. Accept it, Dreyar."

Never.

Especially not the next day when he had the unfortunate event of running into Lisanna.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she answered the door with a frown.

"Mira sent me here to look for somethin' of hers," he said as he shoved his way into the Strauss household. "Some sorta dress or somethin' that you borrowed."

Lisanna cross her arms over her chest. "Nothing of Mira's would ever fit me, so I highly doubt-"

"And I'm just realizing that I was set up," Laxus complained as he took to frowning. "That she sent me over here in vain. Great. That's why she was all giggly about it. Damn demon."

"Set you up for what?"

"For this," he said, gesturing to her as she only took to walking off. "You know, so we could make up. She's always doin' bull like-"

"Then you might as well go back home," Lisanna said. "Because-"

"I'm already fucking here," he grumbled. "So we might as well-"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"What happened, huh? Between us? I mean, I never thought of us as close, but suddenly, you've declared war on me and I don't even remember doin' nothing to constitute it. What? I forget your birthday? The first day we met? Something?"

"Shut up, Laxus. You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be." Anymore. Since that joke hadn't landed. "I'm just trying to-"

"What difference does it make to you if we get along or not? You know that-"

"It makes a world of difference to the demon. And I'd like for you and her to be on my side, when I finally do go to war with Elfman, so that I know I'll come out the victor."

"I'm not laughing."

"I don't care if you are or not! I'm trying to be serious here," he grumbled. "I just… Why do we have to hate one another? Huh? I mean, you're clearly all on my boy and I'm in love with your sister, so can't we just get along?"

"What's suddenly made you the peacekeeper?"

"The fact that I'm with your sister and trying to get her pregnant," he said. "And I want my next kid and Nate to have good relationships with people. Like…like how none of us got. I want them to have a big family. A happy one. And…and if I did something, Lisanna, I'm sorry. Alright? But if you're just going to hate me for loving your sister, well, you can get the hell over that. Because I'm not ever going to stop doing that. It's just the way it is."

"That's not why." She had stopped, but still had her back to him.

"Then-"

"I don't dislike you, Laxus. But when you're mean to Bickslow or when you act like a douche to me, I'm just as rude back. You do really crappy things to me too, you know. You treat everyone like crap. And then you're, like, shocked when I don't open my life up to you? That I'm not thrilled that my sister's decided to spend her life with you? Like, what? You insult me, you make fun of-"

"I'm joking."

"Yeah, and when we're both joking, that's fine. But when you suddenly decide that you outrank me in this family and can boss me around, tell me how to treat  _my_  sister who I've loved a lot longer than you, then I get a little ticked. You're not my boss. You're just Mira's fiancé. That's all. So stop-"

"I protect Mira, Lisanna. Even from you if you're making her-"

"Our relationship is none of your business!"

"Yeah, Lisanna, it is. She's going to be my wife."

"And she's staying my sister. Forever. Who knows how long she's going to be-"

"What is it? Huh? Are you afraid of her getting married?"

"No, of course not. I'm happy for Mira. And for you. But-"

"Then what? You think that it's going to change something? It's not. We're not going anywhere. We're staying here, in Magnolia. With you guys. I'm not…taking your sister away from you. I don't want to. I hardly want her most nights. Especially when she's kicking me out of-"

"Laxus."

"She's your sister, yeah, but you gotta learn that what you do to her affects me. We both love her. So why can't we just share her?"

Lisanna kept walking then. "Whatever. Just get out."

"I'm sorry, alright? About…about how much of an ass I am to you sometimes. A lot of the time. I'm just… I've never felt this way before about someone and-"

"Yeah, Laxus, we all know. You love Mira. Stop-"

"Not her," he grumbled, kicking at the ground. He hated that house. Reminded him of how not long ago he used to get stuck eating breakfast with Elfman every day over there. "You."

"What are you-"

"I've never…wanted to…I dunno. I just… You're so easy to wanna protect and I… You're kinda like my little sister too now, right? Well, I ain't ever had siblings before, okay? I don't know what to do with you other than bicker with you. And you seem to like it usually. But…I guess we can-"

"Stop talking." She was turning around then though, to glance at him. "Please."

"I think that you're pretty great, Lisanna. For Bickslow. And…and I'm glad that if I gotta put up with Elfman, at least I get you out of it too. I just… I want you to stop fighting with Mirajane so much. It makes her sad and upset and… And I don't like that. I don't think that you do either. I get it, alright? She's been a real monster about this weddin' stuff, but she don't ever get nothin' in her life okay? She's got Nate, but other than that, what special thing has she ever gotten? She spent years caring for you and your brother and a bunch taking care of the rest of us in the guild. Then she spend two years mourning you. So…let her be a monster. Let her make us crazy. We can give her that much, just this once. Can't we?"

When Lisanna nodded, finally, he only went to go pat her on the head before taking off once more, back to home. Mira had said that she would be making him something special for lunch anyhow.

"Where's my dress?" she asked after he entered. "Was it not in-"

"Don't play, demon," he grinned. "I went over there, saw Lisanna, and we talked. We're all made up."

"That's great, Lax." She even did that bouncing clap thing, showing her normal amount of enthusiasm as Nate entered from the hall, dog following. Running over to his father, he threw his arms around the man's legs.

"Mira hug," he yelled out, apparently forgetting that that morning he'd hated the man and declared him an enemy, still citing the fact that Laxus had had the gall to spank him. "Daddy day."

"Not today it's not," he grumbled. He didn't think he could handle another one of those.

"But, Lax," Mira kept up. "Where's my dress?"

"What are you talking about? I-"

"I sent you over there to get a dress."

"No," he said slowly. "You sent me over there to talk to Lisanna and-"

"Why would I do that? Besides, I thought Lisanna had been staying with Bickslow."

He blinked. "Then you didn't-"

"Go back," Mira said, coming to shove him towards the door, Nate following, "and get my dress."

"Daddy day." Nate ran off to get his shoes, just knowing that that time, Laxus would have to take him. And maybe get some ice cream again. Ooh, and go to the park. Playing at Freed's sounded swell too. "Daddy day."

"Come on, boy," Laxus groaned when they set off from the apartment soon after. "Daddy day."

 


	10. Chapter 10

"Aw! You just looked so cute in your tux. Especially during the ceremony."

"Why thank you, Ever," Bickslow said, rubbing at his chest. "But I was going for unbelievably sexy."

"I was talking," she grumbled, "to Nathan, stupid."

"Hey! Don't call the poor kid names."

"I'm not calling him stupid. I'm calling you stupid. Stupid."

Nate only stood there though as Ever and Bickslow fawned over him (argued amongst themselves), frowning slightly. When Mirajane and the others had explained what a wedding was, they neglected to tell him that he would have to wear a stuffy little suit, be quite for extended periods of time, and that being a ring bearer had absolutely  _nothing_  to do with ring around the rosy.

Nothing.

The reception, which was held in the guildhall, was a little bit better. Mira let him take off his jacket and clip-on tie, but that was about it. Oh, and his shoes, though he kinda liked 'em because they made squeaky sounds when he walked around in them.

Anywho, all Nate wanted to do was go home, see his doggy, listen to Mira play him his customary three songs, and then go night-night. But apparently, that wasn't an option.

"Sorry, buddy," Laxus had said when the little boy went to whine to him about it. "We gotta stay for awhile, huh?"

"And Nathan," Mira was quick to remind. "You're not going home with me and Daddy, remember? You and your doggy are staying with Lisanna, Elfman, and Evergreen. Remember? He's already there, waiting for you."

"No. Go home."

"That's not an option. Me and Daddy are going out of town on a train. But we'll be back. We-"

"I go train," he said then, nodding his head. "With Mommy."

"Oh, Laxus, he doesn't get it. I keep telling you that-"

"And when he wakes up tomorrow and the next day and the day after that to see that we're not there, he'll start to."

"He'll think that we abandoned him though. And-"

"But we didn't, Mirajane. We're coming back. Of course we're coming back."

"Still. He thought that his mother was-"

"You are his mother."

"Laxus-"

"He's a big boy." Then Laxus patted him on the head, making the blond headed little boy stare up at him. With a grin down at the child, Laxus said simply, "He'll be fine."

But he would not be fine. Ever again. Not if Mommy was going somewhere without him.

And at the moment, as Bickslow and Ever argued, Nate took to looking around for the woman.

"Mommy."

He set out when he saw her, over talking with some people he didn't know.

That was another problem he had with the whole thing. There were just far too many people that he had no idea who were. From his mother's modeling friends to all of his father's jerk male friends, he was swamped. Then you add in all the people that he didn't know at the guild because they weren't in the 'inner circle' and, well, Nate was just in unfamiliar territory.

At the moment though, she was talking to one of his very best friends.

"Natsu," he giggled as he came over to the man. He was kinda standing off to the side, stuffing his face with a plate full of food, as his girlfriend spoke with Mirajane. They were both giggling and tearful and Erza was there too, but Nate didn't really like her.

She was scary.

And she was real mean to Natsu sometimes! That was not okay. But she headed off, just as he approached.

"Hey, Nate," Natsu greeted. "What are you doin', huh? Bored out of your mind, right? Least you ain't gotta dance with nobody like I'm being forced to constantly-"

"We have danced," Lucy complained, glancing over at him as Mirajane giggled, "twice, Natsu. Twice. So chill."

"Yeah, but then I had to dance with Erza and Lisanna and-"

"You could always try saying no when people ask you to-"

"Have you ever tried to say no to Erza? Have you?"

"Good point."

Giving up on Natsu, Nate turned to his mother.

"Go home?"

"Baby, I already told you, I'm not taking you home. Remember? Last night? When we packed up your little bag to take to Uncle Elf's? Huh? You remember?"

Yes. "No."

"Nathan."

He didn't like weddings anymore. No one ever told him that Mommy would go away if they had one! It wasn't fair! Argh! If only he could be mad at someone else, but wasn't it his fault? He was the one that kept asking everyone to marry him.

Had he been the one to drive her away?

Ha. No. Of course not. He was great.

It had to be Laxus' fault.

He went to hug her, but her dress was too puffy. He didn't like it. Everyone kept telling Mirajane that she looked fabulous, which, by the way, she did, but the dress was not the cause of that. She naturally was fabulous. The dress, however, was horrible. He wanted to snuggle up to her, but it was preventing that. The horror.

"Mommy!" He fell back then, onto his butt, much to the shock of the three adults, and started to cry. He'd recently formed a problem of throwing tantrums more frequently and over the silliest of things. Mira, already stressed, really wasn't in the mood.

"No, Nathan. Do not do that here."

"It's alright, little buddy," Natsu told him. "I can't be with the people I wanna be with constantly either. Like…Happy. Sometimes, like now, he ditches me to chase after Carla. And do I whine? No way! I make do with Lucy."

"You make do?" the blonde repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ha ha!" Natsu moved to toss an arm around her, but Lucy wasn't as receptive. "I just meant…uh… Here, Nate! Wanna ride up on my shoulders?"

No. He wanted Mira. And home. And his doggy. And maybe Laxus, maybe not. He wasn't sure yet.

Someone else was walking up then, someone he didn't know, but Mirajane did. So she started talking to him and ignoring Nathan. Which wasn't okay. And Natsu was talking to Lucy again as they walked off, which left Nate all alone.

Err, well, he was probably supposed to stick close to Mirajane, which usually was a great thing, but she was being pretty mean to him. Or at least he felt that way. So he went off to find Laxus. Maybe he'd take him home.

"Daddy." He wrapped his arms around the man the second he saw him. "I wan' go home."

"Hmmm?" Laxus was with some of his non-guild friends and frowned down at the boy. Then, with a groan, he excused himself before moving to lift him into his arms and walk him over to a table to sit down.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked as he sat the boy in his lap. "Nate?"

"No like party." He patted his father's cheek. "Go home?"

"You can't do that. When Elfman or Lisanna leaves, you can go with them."

"No!"

"Nathan, we talked about this. Just try and have fun, okay? Pretty soon, you'll get to have some cake."

"Cake," he repeated. "Then home."

"No."

It was then that they were joined at the table by Freed, who came bearing a plate of food for the child. That at least distracted him for a bit.

"Watch him," Laxus said simply as he handed the boy off to Freed before taking his leave. "I got stuff to do, people to greet. Real important shit."

"Of course, Laxus."

Nate was too busy stuffing his face to know that his father was ditching him. While he was busy with his grub, the rest of the Thunder Legion showed up.

"Oy," Bickslow complained as he sat down, beer in hand. "We thought that we lost him."

"We were looking all over," Ever complained, frowning at Nathan. "Why did you run off?"

Uh, because he was him and could do whatever he wanted? Or at least whatever Mirajane allowed.

"He was with Laxus," Freed said as he held the boy in his lap, not wishing for his friends to take him from him. Laxus had given him the child and, well, he was keeping him. "And now he is with me."

"Where's Lissy then?" Bickslow looked around. "Babies? You see her?"

"Lissy," they called. "Lissy."

"I've hardly seen Elfman either," Ever told him with a slight frown.

"That's because you were yelling at him before-"

"He was crying," Ever hissed. "And it was embarrassing."

"Well, I didn't drive Lissy away at all," he complained, still looking around, even pushing his visor up to do so. "I want her here. I bet she took off because of you, Ever."

"Me? What did I do?"

"What don't you do?"

Freed only sighed, completely uninterested in their love lives. Except for one thing.

"Have you let it be known to Mirajane and Laxus yet that you and Elfman have married?" he asked as Ever only rolled her eyes.

"Of course not," she said. "We're probably not going to mention it at all. Not for awhile. Either that or when they come back, I'll tell them that we just got married while they were gone. She'll be a little annoyed at first, but it's better than the alternative."

Bickslow snorted. "Take it from me, marriage is not worth it. Totally changes the relationship."

Ever gave him a look. "You weren't married."

"So? I was fake married. And it was fake terrible. You never have sex. Literally."

"In your case, you don't either way."

"Yeah and it's fuckin' crazy."

Freed snickering then, for the first time in awhile, grinning over at then. "It's not fucking anything."

Ever was the only sober one out of her teammates (Freed usually abstained from alcohol, but had broken the rule just to get through the emotional day without attempting to kidnap Laxus), but still laughed loudly at that. Bickslow just glared.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up! Bickslow ain't gettin' any. Ha ha." The seith frowned heavily. "But I'll tell you what, I'm way happier than any of you. I'm celery."

"…Celibate?' Freed asked.

"I don't know. I've never needed to say the word before. So how should I know how to pronounce it?"

"You've never said celery before? Or celibate? Or both?" Ever shook her head. "It's both, isn't it?"

He just grunted then as the babies came to hover closer, as if comforting the man. "I go through a lotta lotion, yeah?"

"Wh- Bickslow!"

"Don't hit me! We're having an open conversation, Ever! You can't hit when-"

"I can hit whoever the heck I wanna hit! Especially when they're disgusting!"

"No hit." Nathan glanced up at them with a frown. "No hittin', Ever!"

"Yeah. Listen to the kid," Bickslow grumbled. "Before you get backhanded."

"Backhanded," the babies agreed.

"I dare you," his female teammate challenged. As they had their little glare off though, Freed only spoke up, thoughtful as ever.

"I'm perhaps a tad surprised," the letter mage said slowly.

"About what? Me and Lissy? Our love is real! Don't you dare doubt-"

"I meant that you haven't just found…other avenues," Freed told him slowly. "That's usually your answer to things."

"Other avenues?"

"He means that he's shocked you haven't just cheated on her, stupid," Ever said as she gave up on their glaring match and went back to looking around for her boy- err, husband.

"Did you not hear the love part?"

"Oh, bull."

"It's true." He rubbed at his chest. "I'm a committed man now, yeah?"

"You should be committed," Ever corrected. "To, like, an asylum."

"Ha ha. Oh, man. You guys sure are funny these days. I'm just  _dying_  of laughter."

"I wanna hear the joke."

They were joined then by Lisanna, who came to sit next to Bickslow.

"No, you don't," Ever told her dryly as Nate took to sticking his tongue out at her. After returning that, Lisanna glanced at the other woman.

"What do you mean?"

"She means that it's real serious Thunder Legion business, yeah?" Bickslow was quick to toss an arm over her, about pulling the younger woman down as he moved to kiss her head. "Where were you, anyhow?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? I mean that me and the babies missed you, is what I mean."

"Missed Lissy." The dolls were animated again, flying around the table happily. Lisanna just stared up at their master though.

"I was talking to people and stuff," she told him. "You're the one sitting over here with the same two people that you're always with, no doubt talking about the same things you always do."

"Thankfully not," Ever whispered to Freed who nodded.

"What you tryin' to say here, kid? That I'm borin'?"

"No," she said slowly. "But-"

"Well, I ain't.' Bickslow was quick to jump up. "Come on, babies! We got people to meet. A Lissy to entertain, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Bickslow," she giggled, but did get up to follow him.

"I think I hate him with her more than I hate him alone," Ever said once they were gone.

"You're just bitter today," Freed told her as Nate, finished with his food, remembered his original objected.

"Go home," he told both of them. "Wan' Mira."

"Aw, Nathan." Ever gave him a sad smile. "You still think your wants matter. Don't you know that you'll be second rate soon enough? Backburner?"

"Ever, leave the child alone," Freed told her. Still, the woman reached out to pat him on the head.

"You think things are rough now," she kept on. "Just wait until their marriage goes south, which I'm expecting will be soon. And if Mira has gotten a baby out of Laxus by then, why, she won't even want you anymore. And he never did in the first place. Where, oh where, will you go then, huh?"

"You're being a horrible person right now."

"I'm so sorry, Freed, that maybe I'm not in the best of moods, okay? My back hurts, this stupid baby is keeping me from drinking, and I'm married to Elfman. If those aren't good enough reasons to be a bitch sometimes, I don't know what are."

Well, she had a point.

"And besides," she said as Nate smiled at her, taking the woman's condescending tone as a kind one. "Maybe they will work out. Laxus and Mira. Who knows? I don't. So who cares what I have to say? Right? Right? Who cares? No one. No one ever cares about-"

"Please, Ever," he groaned. "I can't do a pregnancy meltdown right now."

"This has nothing to do with my pregnancy! This has to do with the way that everyone treats me."

Ugh. Freed thought he was saved when, suddenly, Nate was plucked from his lap.

"Mirajane," the man greeted as the little boy quickly wrapped his arms around her neck. "I-"

"Nathan," she said, ignoring Freed completely. Apparently marrying Laxus gave her his same attitude as him. "What are you doing? Huh? I was looking for you. You just ran off."

"Mommy." He kissed her cheek. "Hi."

"Hi, sweetie. I came to get you. It's almost time to cut the cake and things. You're gonna wanna stay close to me now, huh?"

"Yes." He nuzzled against her. "I wanna eat cake."

"I know you do."

And as she walked off with the boy, Freed found he was very much so still left with Evergreen, now without even the child as a buffer.

Sigh.

Where was Elfman when you needed him?

"I never thought I would see the day," she said with a sigh after a moment. "That Laxus got married."

"Yes, well, I never rightly pictured myself as his best man," the other mage offered.

"The bride then? Or would you both be grooms?"

She got a look for that. "I currently am the only one that even wishes to spend any time at all with you, including your new husband. Perhaps you should not provoke me."

Groaning, Ever said, "I was just joking. Boy, you and Bickslow sure have formed some thin skin recently."

"And you have not?"

"I've always been this way."

Well, that was true.

She only took to tapping her finger against the table, still glancing around. "I just can't picture Laxus this way. It's been hard to get used to. Him and…Mirajane."

Freed nodded slowly before saying, "It is not as if you and Elfman were the most likely choice and we've all been forced to adjust to that."

"Yes, well."

"And I… I would rather Laxus not be with Mira, of course."

"Of course."

"I would rather him be single forever. But… He is happy. There is no denying that. And I would rather give up my perfect vision of him than force him to live a way he does not wish to."

"I guess so."

"It's kind of funny in a way," he said, laughing uneasily then. "To think that it is only due to another woman's indiscretion that they are even together."

"Another woman's… You do get that Laxus made that kid too, right?"

Freed snorted. "Those filthy women. Who can trust any of them?"

"Well, Porlyusica did say it was his, so-"

"Trickery."

"Freed."

"Well," he conceded then. "Nathan is a very…interesting child."

"That's one way of putting it."

Smiling then, her teammate said, "I wonder what your child will be like."

Ever didn't. Or she did. At times. But at the moment, she just wanted to pretend like it didn't exist.

Needing a new topic then, Ever said, "You know that Elfman and I are having to…keep Nathan for the next few days. Until Mirajane and Laxus get back from their honeymoon."

"I've heard as much. You know, of course, I would offer to take him, but the dog-"

"You should take him," the woman said. "I mean, he's kinda your job in this too, you know. Besides, I thought you'd be more interested in Laxus' son."

"I am," he defended. "But, need I remind you, you're the aunt of this child now."

"Ugh. Step-aunt."

"Ever."

"Well."

"I think that Mirajane and Laxus are attempting to move past that now," Freed said simply. "And treat it as if it never happened."

"Yeah, like we all see that turning out fine. I mean, come on, Freed, eventually the kid-"

"My kid's gonna be such the man."

They both frowned at that, neither having to look up to know that it was Elfman standing at the table, grinning brightly at them. Ever only turned her frown on him then, annoyed with his upbeat side once again.

"Where have you been then? Huh?"

"Lookin' for you, of course."

"Of course."

He rubbed at the back of his neck then as he said, "I wanted to see if you wanted to…you know. Dance or whatever."

Freed thought she would turn him down, honestly Elfman was expecting it too, but after a moment's thought, Ever got to her feet.

"Fine," she said. "But I am only doing this as a favor to you. Not because I'll enjoy it."

He was quick to grab her hands in his own. "Great! Dancin' with a woman is real manly!"

As he whisked her off, Freed only watched with a soft sigh before looking once more for his idol, placing the man with ease in a way that only he could. Was it that easy to lose then? To the Strauss siblings? In less than a year, he was down to only himself.

It was kinda…depressing.

At the same time though, it was nice as well. To see all of them having paired off and, finally, become happy. For the most part anyhow. Things had to change. He figured he was just lucky that they were all still in Magnolia.

"For now," he reminded himself.

And honestly, could he ask for more?

* * *

It was dark, wherever it was that Nate woke up. For a moment or two, he was too confused to be upset. Then he realized he was in a big bed and figured his mommy and Laxus must be around.

And the doggy was there too, he found, sleeping in bed with him. It was just his parents that were missing. Upon glancing around a few more times, he found that he was in Mira's room. Her old room, at least. He remembered it well. Err, he remembered it enough to know where he was.

He was at the old house. Elf's house. Oh.

Still quite sleepy and not quite remembering why he was there, Nate laid around in bed for awhile, waiting for Mirajane to show up and rub his tummy or snuggle him some. When she didn't come after a small amount of time, he took to whining. Nothing. Even the doggy just slept right through it.

Where was Mira?

He gave his doggy a pet before he clambered out of bed. Whoever had dressed him for bed had done a horrible job. He was only in his undies! That just wouldn't do. What was Mira thinking? He needed his jammies. The ones with the stars on them. Else he might get cold in the night or something.

"Mira?" He was getting pretty good at figuring out how to open doors and headed right out of his room. "Mommy? Laxus?"

The house wasn't dark. He saw a light on in the living room and headed for there.

"Ugh," he heard someone groan. "I was hoping he was down for the night."

"You want me to take him? Real men take care of-"

"No." Then Ever was standing from the couch and coming over to the hallway, where he was whining from. "I have him."

Nate didn't wanna be with Evergreen. He was tired and nearly nakie and just wanted Mirajane to make it all better.

"Jammies," he whined as the woman picked him up. "Mommy."

"Oh, hush. I didn't put you in them because I didn't wanna wake you. And Mirajane isn't here. You know that, Nate. She's left on her and your father's trip."

Mira had been rather upset too, when Nate fell asleep before she left the reception. She'd wanted to tell him goodbye, after all.

"It's better," Laxus told her as she only held the sleeping toddler in her arms with a frown. "This way he'll wake up with us already gone and not get upset."

"I dunno, Lax."

"Well, I do. He's going to be fine. And so are you. You guys need to learn to be apart more often."

Uh, no, they didn't. Because at the moment, a very awake Nathan was not having a good reaction to the news.

"Shhh," Ever groaned as she carried the squirming child off back to Mirajane's old bedroom. "Come on, Nathan. Seriously? You think that I want to take care of you tonight? Because I don't. But you're Laxus' baby. So I'm trying here. Don't make it hard on me."

Make it hard on her? She was the one that was making it hard on him! Not the other way around.

"Mira," he sobbed as even his dog jumped off the bed, worried about the little master. The real master, Mira, had entrusted him with the wellbeing of her boy. There was no way that the dog wanted to let her down. "Go home. Go home!"

He must have cried forever. Long enough that eventually, his body gave out to the exhaustion still coursing through it and he fell asleep once more. Ever just got him settled on the bed and made the dog get up there with him before sneaking out.

"One night down," she sighed to Elfman who was far more concerned with the fact that it was getting late and his sister still hadn't shown her face back home. "Only way too many more to go."

Only Elfman wasn't listening to her as he just kept worrying about his sister. Actually, there wasn't a lot for him to worry about.

Because at that exact moment, she'd never felt more in control of her life than she ever had.

This, of course, had a lot to due with the fact that she was beyond drunk, somewhat stoned, and totally under the spell of her boyfriend. She almost felt like she was in a trance, really.

"Bickslow," she whispered at one point as they laid there on his couch, him being far bolder than usual. She figured it was because he was just as blazed as her. "Are we..."

"Fuck, Lissy," he groaned as he just stayed there with his head buried in her neck, pressing kisses against it randomly. The babies were all dormant for the night and the apartment was dark. They were alone. "I've been so good for so long. Fuck."

"Bicks…"

"What is it, huh?" Lifting his head slightly, he grinned at her. "I'll make it, like, so good for you. Swear."

"I-"

"We don't gotta." He moved to rest his forehead against hers. "If you don't wanna."

"I'm just…I dunno."

"Mmmm. We ain't gotta…you know. There's some other stuff that I-"

"But it's still something that I haven't-"

"We can just try somethin', huh? And if you ain't into it, you ain't into it." Then he winked at her. "But trust me, kid, I'm pretty sure you're going to be into it."

One thing that stuck with Lisanna that night was the fact that as she was doing…things with Bickslow, Mira and Laxus were on the way to their resort, to no doubt do similar things and, for some reason, that made it feel a little creepy. And weird. But her mind was so muddled and nothing really made sense and it was okay though, because she was with Bickslow. Really.

The next night for her was better, as she was sobered up and in her own home, listening to Evergreen and Elfman argue halfheartedly about how they would be redoing Mirajane's room. He wanted to paint it orange, as, boy or girl, it was such a manly color. She kept insisting that, boy or girl, that was not a color option. It just wasn't.

For Nathan though, it was only worse.

The entire day had been. He kept waiting for Mommy and Daddy to come back, but they wouldn't. They didn't. And when night fell, he hardly ate his dinner, cried throughout his bath, and just sat there during story time with his doggy, up on Mira's old bed, watching Lisanna as she turned the pages in the book with disinterest.

"Okay," Lisanna said as she finished the story and got up to go set the book over with the other toys they'd brought back over to the house for him. He hadn't even played with his cars all day, he was that depressed. "I think I'm about to have a treat for you. Just give me a minute, huh?"

She left the room then and he only laid there, leaning against the doggy, wishing that he could go back and never ask Mirajane to marry him.

In a town far away, Mirajane was sitting up in her own bed, having just pulled on one of Laxus' discarded shirts as he took a lonely shower, her staying behind in the bedroom for a very important reason.

"Okay, Lisanna, let me see him."

Her sister giggled on the other side of the communication lacrima as Mirajane only stared into the crystal-esque ball, unable to hide the anxiousness in her tone. She'd worried about the boy all day. And fine, she had had fun with Laxus. A lot. They'd checked out the town, gone down to a casino, and spent some time at the beach. Not to mention the time in their room…

Still though, she just knew that her baby was missing her back home and that bothered her.

"Hold on," the girl on the other end said. "He's sleeping in your old room with the dog."

"Just hurry, please," Mira sang impatiently.

"So annoying," Lisanna chided with a slight giggle as she left her own room, lacrima in hand. When she got to her sister's old one, she pushed open the door slowly to find Nate just as disenchanted with life as she'd left him. That'd soon be fixed. "Nathan. Look. I-"

"Nate? It's Mira. Are you-"

"Mommy!" He perked right up at the sound of her voice, sniffling slightly and wiping at his eyes, knowing that the worst was over. Where was she? "Mommy?"

Lisanna just came to set the lacrima gently on the bed, Mira's face staring at the boy with a wide grin. Nate's followed.

"Mommy!" He threw his arms around the lacrima, giggling loudly. "Mommy! Home? Go home?"

"Sweetie," Mirajane giggled. "I'm not home just yet. A few more days, okay?"

That meant nothing to him as he only said, "Laxus? Laxus there?"

"He's here. He's in the shower."

"Hi, Laxus!" Nate waved at the ball. He had no idea how Mommy and Daddy got in there, but he was sure glad that he'd finally found them. "Hi, Mira!"

"Have you been being a good boy?" Mia asked finally after giggling some. "Huh, Nate?"

"Yes!" He nuzzled the lacrima, not caring that it wasn't affectionate in return. "Mommy."

"Good," she said. "'cause I got you so many toys."

"Yay!'

"Is it nighttime yet? Huh? Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Well, lay down and I'll sing you to sleep, huh?"

He tapped his knuckles against the lacrima. "Mommy?"

"Just lay down, Nate." Lisanna was coming over to settle him back down some once more. "And you heard Mirajane. She'll sing you a song, huh?"

"Three." That was the deal. No more, no less. "Mommy."

Honestly, Lisanna wanted her sister to herself so that she could detail the…stuff that she and Bickslow had done the night before, to get the older woman's take on things. She would admit though, watching Nate get so excited was kind of cute.

The dog barked some then, when the sound of Mira started up, but quickly took to sleeping once more. He was growing quite lazy those days. Kinda like his daddy, Mira figured.

Nathan only snuggled up to the lacrima, like he would a stuffed animal, vowing to not fall asleep. Not even for a second. He couldn't give Mommy the chance to escape again!

But as the songs wore on and they got the third one, where she actually ended up singing more about the wedding day than anything else, well…he just couldn't help it.

He was out like a light, content in the fact that his mother was still there and loved him.

"He misses you so much," Lisanna told her sister when she got the lacrima away from the sleeping boy, doing so gently as not to wake him. "And I have so much to tell you when you get back."

"Already?"

"Already."

"Well-"

"Mira!" Lisanna heard on the other side. "Was that the kid? He okay?"

"Oh, Laxus. You missed him. And if we wake him again-"

"Please don't," Lisanna begged as she left the room and headed back to her own. "In fact, I'll talk to you later, okay, Mirajane?"

"I'm going to call on you guys again tomorrow," she said. "Around lunch. And before his bedtime again. Please don't forget."

"Never."

And after Lisanna faded from the lacrima, Mirajane found herself moving to set it on the bedside table once more as a boxer clad Laxus came to stretch out on the bed.

"Was he okay?"

"He misses us."

"I bet."

"We are the best parents ever."

"Well…sorta. We're there, at least."

"Laxus."

He rolled onto his side with a groan, staring at her. "This is supposed to be a vacation. No worries, remember?"

"I can't help it." Then, smiling deviously at him, she moved closer. Though their bed was quite large, they had found they didn't need much room. Not when they would much rather spend the entire time entangled in one another. "Although, you know, if he had a…brother or sister or two there to comfort him when we're gone-"

"Why, demon, you read my mind."

"You want babies too?"

"I wanna fuck you," he said simply. "And if I can get you what you want out of it too, so be it."

"Laxus."

"Mmmm. I'll get you a baby on this damn trip, demon. If that's what you want."

"It is."

"But," he said with a grin as she moved to shove at him, apparently wanting him on his back for the moment. "If you go away and come back pregnant every time we go away, Nate might get jealous and start to hate our trips more."

"As miserable as he seemed, I don't think that that's possible." When she moved to straddle him, hands resting against his chest while she stared down into his eyes, she said simply, "We're married, dragon."

"We' are, demon."

Letting out a slow breath, she couldn't help, but to giggle a little. All that she had gone through, from just wanting to help save an orphaned chilled to denying her feelings for his father to falling in love with both of them so deeply that it hurt, she couldn't fathom how quick her whole life had changed.

But she wouldn't have changed it for the world.

"Forever?" she whispered.

"Forever."

 


End file.
